Very Large Quasi-Robotic Trucks: Monday Focus for August 11, 2014

Science fiction writer Charlie Stross sends us to:

Haul Train: “The first significant change in rigid haul truck design for 60 years…

…ETF Mining Haul Trains are the answer to the demand for even larger payloads than current Ultra-Class Trucks offer. The innovative design results in the lowest cost per ton in the industry…. Unique to ETF, each truck irrespective of capacity can operate together with others of the same capacity as a ‘Haul Train’ two; three, four or more individual trucks can easily be linked together using a steel arm carrying an enclosed armoured data cable within its structure. Information data from the first operator controlled truck is transmitted via the link arm to the following trucks guiding and controlling all important operating functions like engine power, steering direction and brakes, just as if each unit had separate operators following each other.

The real operational advantage soon becomes very obvious, for every train there is just one operator, so as unit numbers increase payload capacity go ‘up’ while operator costs come ‘down’. Each haul train features ‘side dumping’ capability, each truck can dump individually or together at the same time at the dump area and crusher. If for any reason the mine plan should change requiring fewer units in the train each truck unit can be de-coupled, allowing each truck to operate independently. This unique configuration provides a mine wishing to increase operating capacity simply by increasing the number of trucks in the train. ETF Mining Haul Trains can be used on the same roads where current Large Haul Trucks are operating with existing haul road profiles and bend radius. Side-tippers are standard…

The remarkable thing about this advertisement is the stress on how the “enclosed armoured data cable” allows the mind to economize on * truck drivers*. Figuring out a way to–sometimes–remove four out of five truck drivers from the necessary resources to make the mine operate is a huge selling point. But, then, if you are paying $50,000/year for a skilled mine-truck driver, that is $500,000 over the ten-year life of a truck that costs $1,000,000 (or more). The cost of getting the human brain is not the bulk of the cost of running the truck, but it is a significant proportion, and economizing on it by replacing drivers and slaving the follower trucks to the leader is a powerful potential source of economy.

I do not know whether the lesson to draw is that human brains still add immense value–look at how much of the cost of even the most capital-intensive mining operations is skilled human labor–or that a great many things that humans do today that are well-paid are ripe for disruption as soon as our technologists can figure out how to use silicon to mimic the skills of we shoebox-sized 50-watt supercomputers well enough…