Think Google’s winning at autonomous cars? Check out these driverless mining trucks

Over the years, a lot of fuss has been made over Google’s autonomous vehicle programme. Rightly so too, but the truth is we’re still a little way away from fully autonomous passenger vehicles.

One thing that most stories tend to ignore though is the fact that autonomous vehicles operating in a number of spaces. One of the earliest sectors of the economy to benefit from autonomous vehicles was agriculture. Increasingly though, they’re having an impact on the mining sector.

The benefits are obvious: without people in or around the vehicle the mine can operate more safely as there’s no chance for human error. Autonomous vehicles can also operate around the clock, using their sensors. While they’re limited only by the fuel in their tanks, the ones driven by humans are constrained by the ability of humans to stay awake, with time lost between shifts.