Autonomous Mining Vehicle Fleet

Enabled autonomous operation of 45 haul trucks in underground mining environment with AI-powered navigation, collision avoidance, and load optimization.

The Challenge

An underground mining operation sought to automate their fleet of 45 haul trucks to improve safety and operational efficiency. The environment presented extreme challenges: complete darkness, temperatures up to 55°C, severe vibration from rough terrain, and zero tolerance for system failures that could endanger workers or halt production. Navigation systems needed to handle GPS-denied environments, while object detection had to work reliably in dusty conditions with varying lighting. Vehicle power systems (24V DC) required intelligent management to prevent battery drain.

The Solution

Each haul truck was equipped with an NVT-7000 platform featuring NVIDIA RTX A4000 GPU for real-time sensor fusion and path planning. The system integrates data from LiDAR, stereo cameras, radar, and IMU sensors to build a 3D map of the tunnel environment and plan collision-free paths. Thermal management enables continuous operation in 55°C ambient temperature without active cooling. Wide-range DC input and intelligent power management work seamlessly with the vehicle's 24V electrical system. Edge AI processing eliminated dependency on unreliable underground wireless networks.