FMG takes driverless vehicles out of the pit and onto the streets of Karratha

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FMG takes driverless vehicles out of the pit and onto the streets of Karratha

By staff writers

One of Australia's biggest iron ore miners will muscle in on public-street driverless vehicles after announcing it would establish a new R&D centre and trial vehicles in the Pilbara town of Karratha.

The Fortescue Metals Group Future of Mobility Centre will leverage lessons learnt from its autonomous truck fleet and put them into vehicle trials similar to the RAC Intellibus trial on the South Perth foreshore.

Fortescue's iron ore operations are already heavily automated.

Fortescue's iron ore operations are already heavily automated. Credit: Bloomberg

Fortescue’s chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said the company was at the forefront of this technology with its mine operations set to become the first in the world to be fully autonomous.

She said the fleet had safely travelled more than 26 million kilometres since the first autonomous truck was introduced in 2012.

"We are now building on our autonomous capability with the commencement of an autonomous light vehicle trial, at our Christmas Creek mine," she said.

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"The emergence of autonomy is one aspect in which our world is changing rapidly, and we
intend to be part of the opportunities that it will represent for the mining industry, local
communities such as Karratha, and beyond."

Ms Gaines said the centre would give the company to develop, test and trial this technology, adding to WA's clout as an automation hub.

“We’ll be exploring all facets of the future of mobility including software, hardware and various
forms of mobility solutions, to see where the opportunities lie,” she said.

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City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long was excited at the prospect of the centre.

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"While the city will continue to be the hub of resources and energy projects for the nation, we are now entering an exciting new phase of economic development and diversification," he said.

Precision mapping of Karratha's layout will be carried out for research and development purposes using a vehicle mounted with a sophisticated mapping tool called a sled.

Rio Tinto was set to celebrate the official launch of its Autohaul driverless train on Friday, but the launch has been delayed due to cyclone Veronica.

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