Series produced for
by 
Komatsu · Gällivare, Sweden
The mining tech with people at the centre
Produced for Komatsu as part of the Age of Automation series.
Under a vast sky coloured with smoky blue morning light, giant trucks haul their load along roads that wind their way out of the Earth. Charlotta Oscarsson, a pit patroller at Boliden, surveys their progress from her 4x4.
The winter weather is turning, and snow now falls in this remote part of northern Sweden, but the trucks continue undeterred.
This is possible as the trucks, that scale the mines’ vast structure, do not have a driver behind the wheel and are able to drive fully autonomously. “Right now, we are in a dark period which can be challenging,” Oscarsson says. “But we’ve noticed that the trucks are not affected by things like fog unlike in staffed mines where truck drivers are not able to continue when the fog is too thick.”
Pit patrollers like Oscarsson act as caretakers of the mine site, and she knows how difficult it can be to operate in this terrain. “The autonomous trucks don’t care when there is [bad weather],” she says.
Boliden Aitik—currently blanketed in a fresh flurry of snow—is an impressive sight. The largest open mine pit on the whole site measures 1.8miles (3km) long, 0.7miles (1.1km) wide and 1476ft (450m) deep and is alive with activity. Explosives, which have been pumped into narrow, drilled holes in the rock, break up ore and waste rock.
The remnants are then hauled away by gigantic yellow trucks which trundle along the mine’s roads taking it to be crushed and then transported out of the mine.
Each truck is gargantuan and has a gross horsepower of 2,700. They measure 15m (49ft) long, 10m (33ft) wide and 8m (26ft) tall—similar in length and height to two double-decker buses stacked on top of one another. They also have six, enormous tyres helping carry the load of ore rich in copper, gold and silver.
These vehicles are developed by Komatsu—a global leader in mining and construction equipment—and can operate autonomously. They are part of a fleet named Komatsu Frontrunner directed by the company's FrontRunner autonomous haulage system (AHS). Equipped with self-driving technology, they have no need for a driver to sit in their cab and can work without the need for a break throughout morning, noon and night. This creates a more productive and safer workplace for Boliden Aitik’s crews.
Mining has become the bedrock which supports industries like energy and technology as it evolves and adapts to the needs of consumers. Native metals, such as copper, gold and silver are essential components in modern technologies. From smartphones to electric vehicles, they are used to provide more reliable electrical conductivity and greater resistance to corrosion and tarnishing.
Most consumers are only vaguely aware that these materials are inside their technology, let alone the complex systems required to extract them. Unbeknown to many, the copper that Boliden Atik and other mines extract is part of the wires pulsing through electrical devices, the pipes carrying water to homes and the batteries which power electrical vehicles. The requirement for copper is expected to increase by 140% by 2050. this creates an increase in demand—one mines like Boliden Aitik need to meet. If global supply falls, it could cause a surge in copper prices which would eventually increase the costs of products such as electric vehicles, mobile phones and batteries.
As this need grows, the mining industry is beginning to face a reckoning. It must find new ways to be more efficient, cleaner, and promote better safety for workers, which will help transform how mines operate.
The Boliden Atik mine runs around the clock, managed by the site manager who is responsible for the entire mine operation from ensuring high safety standards to providing leadership to employees.
The site mines approximately 40 million tonnes of ore each year as it attempts to keep pace with the growing demand for materials, utilising innovative technologies to promote better safety, address the environemtal impact of mining operations and make sure there is a smooth production process. Komatsu's technology can supports this. It reinforces a fit-for-purpose mining solution while promoting better safety and enabling a more productive environment for workers.
Pit patrollers like Oscarsson work closely with the autonomous vehicles to ensure the operation is as efficient and safe as possible. Whether it be checking the trucks for issues as they travel along the mine's extensive roads, calling out tractor wheel loaders to remove obstacles which have fallen in the vehicles' paths or tending to a malfunctioned truck, they are never unoccupied. "We work in threes," says Magnus Selberg, a pit patroller at Boliden.
"It's often the case that one person sits in the car, and the other will jump in the truck and maybe move it. It's situations like these, that make it useful to be working in teams."
The fleet Oscarsson and Selberg maintain includes 17 autonomous vehicles developed by mining equipment manufacturer, Komatsu. A company dedicated to creating innovative technologies and machinery exemplified through its autonomous vehicles, and advanced analytics.
"In the beginning I was very sceptical about them and didn't know if I could trust them." Kasper Gabrielsson, a shovel operator at Boliden Aitik, says. "However, now I feel that I probably trust them more than I trust manual truck drivers."
Liikavaara—Boliden's satellite mine—located 1.8 miles (3km) away from the main site, is where Komatsu's FrontRunner AHS functions.
Liikavaara's sheer size—though smaller than the main site—is still staggering. It is part of Boliden Aitik's larger strategy to electrify and automate operations and to promote better safety across the entire mine. Acting as a fully integrated part of the mine's operations, it makes Boliden Aitik the first surface mine in Europe to benefit from this autonomous approach to mining operations.
Each mining truck in the haulage system is self-driven and works autonomously. They have diesel-electric drive systems which propel the truck. The haul trucks that Gabrielsson works with are some of the world's largest wheeled vehicles.
"It's amazing to see something that can drive itself and weighs 500 tonnes," he says.
The AHS is centrally controlled, acting as the manager of the driverless vehicles, directing them to optimise routes, manage traffic and make real-time decisions. Additionally, they have a system that utilises Lidar-enabled obstacle detection that helps improve navigation and reduce the potential for collisions with debris from the mine.
"One time we got a call out from the control room that one of the trucks had stopped. As we approached the truck, we saw a whole family of swans. Two adult swans with several cygnets were walking in front of the truck. The truck had sensed the presence of the swans, and we were so delighted that it had stopped for them," Oscarsson says as she recalls herding the swans away from the trucks route through a valley and back into the safety of the forest.
Set back from the constant commotion of rigorous mining activities, in a sleek, urban setting, the remote operations centre—similar to a space mission control room—is equipped with FrontRunner software and monitors the autonomous fleet at Liikavaara. Stefan Johansson-Arnste, central controller at Boliden Aitik, has worked at the mine for 30 years and was the first person to be educated in the autonomous systems software. He has been present through many initiatives which have been introduced to promote the mine's productivity and safety, yet he firmly believes that Komatsu's autonomous fleet is the way forward.
"Before, I did a lot of radio communication with operators. I don't need to do that now, which is a big change. I don't think I'd ever go back to before," he says. The software enables central controllers, like Johansson-Arnste, to set speed restrictions, supervise road conditions and dumping courses. It also gives them access to intervene in case of any mishaps, such as a mechanical breakdown.
From the comfort of his office, he is able to follow the trucks in the Komatsu system from his computer, acting as the driver of the vehicle. He sees everything from the truck's course to if something has triggered an alarm in the vehicle's system—in which case he would contact his team of pit patrollers, like Oscarsson and Selberg, to go and assess the issue.
"The trucks don't need a coffee or toilet break," Johansson-Arnste laughs. "They just drive, so it's easier to optimise production," and reduce the risks of human exposure to such harsh and hazardous environments. The arrival of the autonomous fleet has contributed to fewer workers at the pit face, however there are more specialists in predictive maintenance, fleet optimisation and diagnostics coordinated remotely.
Modern mines like Boliden Aitik generate terabytes of data per day. Komatsu's FrontRunner software allows operation centres to transform this information, so it is accessible to everyone from engineers to environmental monitors and community leaders. "My stress level is better when I have the big picture and can see where I can redirect trucks when something goes down. I call workshops, electricians and do a lot at the same time," Johansson-Arnste says.
The autonomous fleet at Boliden Aitik has helped its workforce progress through creating new career paths, like Johansson-Arnste's, and developing new skills. Oscarsson recalls how when the fleet first arrived, she saw it as an exciting project. But now she recognises how it has truly changed the nature of mining operations. "We have a strong desire to prove for ourselves and others that this is the future," she says. "This is the way to go. We're determined to prove this can work, we believe in this."
As darkness falls quickly and heavily across Sweden at this time of year Oscarsson ends her shift, but the autonomous fleet does not. Through the night the trucks continue their work. Guided by their self-driving systems, they promote better safety and increased productivity, all made possible by Komatsu and its dedication to combining autonomy and data integration to transform mining. With Komatsu's support, Boliden Aitik is not only reaching new industry standards but also hoping to create them.
Produced for Komatsu as part of the Age of Automation series.