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Vale plans to expand its autonomous fleet from 32 to 150 trucks in two years using Caterpillar's system across mixed fleets. The move validates OEM-agnostic economics - but it's not open autonomy. The vendor lock-in remains identical.

In underground mining, the lack of GPS forces vehicle positioning to rely on estimation, not precision. Wheel slip of 2-10% causes drift errors that accumulate—up to 100 meters per kilometer—compromising ore grade control and production reconciliation. Advanced Navigation explores how laser velocity sensors overcome mechanical measurement limits by optically measuring velocity independent of wheel traction, enabling infrastructure-free navigation with sub-meter accuracy.

HCM's $3M investment in Rithmik Solutions represents a strategic bet on the data layer rather than hardware lock-in. With OEM-agnostic analytics working across mixed fleets without requiring new sensors, the move signals where value is shifting in autonomous mining. We examine three distinct OEM approaches - Caterpillar's ecosystem integration, Komatsu's electrification focus, and HCM's open platform strategy - and what this means for mines operating diverse equipment brands.

In the news: Normet's Autobreaker eliminates human presence at underground rock-breaking - one of mining's last unavoidable hazardous intervention points.

ISO 23725 defines interfaces between FMS and AHS but deliberately leaves architectural responsibilities open—here's why that flexibility matters.

Autonomous systems are often developed under ideal conditions—clean sensors, predictable environments, stable connectivity. Real-world autonomy faces rain, snow, fog, dust, and patchy networks. Sensible 4 draws from harsh-environment deployments to show why resilience must be engineered into architecture from day one—not added later. This analysis explores sensor diversity, graceful degradation, rapid deployment strategies, and why open platforms accelerate real-world learnin

Mining autonomy has long been limited to clean, uniform fleets—but that’s changing. This article explores how retrofit driving robots, modular autonomy layers, and standards like ISO 23725 are opening the door to practical, scalable autonomy across mixed fleets and brownfield operations.

Where's the right balance between sensing intelligence and operational constraint? A fresh perspective on autonomous system design.

CATL and EACON’s partnership could mark a turning point for mining. With 2,000+ electric autonomous trucks already running, the question now is whether open standards can keep up—and shape a flexible, interoperable future for electrified autonomy.

Should you build everything yourself — or just what’s missing? Polymath’s Stefan Seltz-Axmacher shares hard-won lessons on vertical vs. horizontal integration, with practical advice for mining autonomy leaders.

The real challenge in autonomous mining isn't the technology—it's what happens when autonomous trucks need to share space with human operators. Co-mingling is the operational reality for decades to come, and it's far more complex than most realize.

Level 9 requires automatic intervention controls that can brake equipment when collision risks are detected. But what does that mean in a fully autonomous operation where there's no operator to warn? We explore how Level 9 functions as an independent safety layer, the role of ISO 21815 in open architectures, and why redundant safety systems matter even when sophisticated AI is driving the truck.