Future mining technology spinoffs from the ALV program

Current work on the autonomous land vehicle (ALV) is summarized, and its application to the mining industry is described. Since mining vehicles are mobile and operate in an unpredictable geologic setting, they require intelligent control similar to that developed for the ALV. The application of ALV technology to a specific class of equipment (load-haul-dump vehicles) at a particular mine is discussed to provide a detailed evaluation of applicability. Perception processing, navigation processing, and control are among the features discussed.<
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