Remote ship loading trial starts in Pilbara

Development of a tele-operated shiploader to remotely control the loading iron, that is part of Rio Tinto’s vision for a ‘Mine of the Future’ to deliver safer and more efficient mining, is being trialled by Rio Tinto at a port in the Pilbara.

CSIRO’s ‘Minerals Down Under’ flagship worked closely with Rio Tinto to develop the tele-operation control systems used in the shiploader.

Rio Tinto chose CSIRO as a research partner because it has significant expertise in a number of technologies that had to come together to deliver a result. These technologies include image processing and projection, electronic communications, software engineering, sensor technologies and human-factors engineering, along with a deep understanding of the mining process.

CSIRO brought together an integrated project team from its labs in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. Where there were gaps in expertise, CSIRO collaborated with other researchers, including Paul Bourke from the University of Western Australia.

Minerals Down Under Director Peter Lilly said the trial was an excellent example of the Flagship’s collaboration with industry: “This new technology will not only improve efficiency, but will also remove the operator from a potentially hazardous position in a cabin on the shiploader boom.”

The remote operator will sit at a console in front of a 180º dome-shaped screen that simulates the view from the boom of the shiploader. Novel applications of sensor technology provide the operator with perceptions and information beyond what can be obtained by a manual operator on the shiploader.

Rio Tinto's Head of Innovation, John McGagh, said the company’s investment in research and development in Australia had been relentless over the past decade: “Some of the technology we are using or adapting for the Pilbara has been trialled elsewhere, but never before has there been a systematic integration of such a scale of many innovations as we are now creating in the Pilbara.”