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Mining companies are rolling out autonomous trucks, drills, and trains, which will boost efficiency but also reduce the need for human employees.
Each of these trucks is the size of a small two-story house. None has a driver or anyone else on board.
Mining company Rio Tinto has 73 of these titans hauling iron ore 24 hours a day at four mines in Australia's Mars-red northwest corner. At this one, known as West Angelas, the vehicles work alongside robotic rock drilling rigs. The company is also upgrading the locomotives that haul ore hundreds of miles to port—the upgrades will allow the trains to drive themselves, and be loaded and unloaded automatically.
Rio Tinto intends its automated operations in Australia to preview a more efficient future for all of its mines—one that will also reduce the need for human miners. The rising capabilities and falling costs of robotics technology are allowing mining and oil companies to reimagine the dirty, dangerous business of getting resources out of the ground.
BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, is also deploying driverless trucks and drills on iron ore mines in Australia. Suncor, Canada's largest oil company, has begun testing driverless trucks on oil sands fields in Alberta.
The article notes that Caterpillar has autonomous machines in production, as well.
Now all they need are siege tanks and the Zerg are done for.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @02:20PM
On the one hand, mining is how the Federation paid for utopia.
On the other hand, once you're rich as fuck because you own the robots that mine Australian gold, why bother giving anything to poor lazy shits who don't own any robots?
Remember the mother Horta was a rational being who took the only logical course of action: kill the humans until her demands were met.
Basic Income now or Luddites are coming to kill you.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @02:33PM
(Score:-1, Flamebait)
Ooops, should have said, "Yaaah, bro, you can totally get rich "mining" bitcoin while robots are literally pulling gold out of the fucking ground."
You morons are delusional if you think you can ever compete with GOLD MINING ROBOTS.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @02:37PM
Where's the obligatory link to Manna, fuckers? Where is it? HUH?
See your Australia Project in real life. Robots make their owners rich, and the rest of you FUCKING DIE.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @02:43PM
MANNA IS THE FUTURE
BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER
BECAUSE ELITE NERDS ARE ELITE
DUUUUUUUUUUUDE
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @02:47PM
I'm leet! I'm leet! I'm leet! I'm leet! I'm leet! I'm leet! I'm pants-on-head leeeeeet because linux or some shit.
Geek World Domination! Whhhheeeeeeeeee!
Coders are gods because of complete intangible leetness!!!!!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @02:49PM
duuuuuuuuuuude
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @03:27PM
I can haz job coding for mining company? See my github I is rockstar coderz.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 01 2017, @10:37PM
You morons are delusional if you think you can ever compete with GOLD MINING ROBOTS.
You seem to miss the point that wages are just one of the input costs for mining companies. And for gold companies, wages are a much smaller factor than price of energy. You may have noticed that typically gold is valued at 15x oil?? Wonder why! If you get rid off people, you still need maintenance, so still need other workers at the shop fixing the robot trucks. And the costs may allow the mine to run at 14x oil instead of 15x.
All you will end up is slightly cheaper gold!