Hitachi pushes forward on autonomous technology

Commemorative photo taken during the signing of the agreement

The collaboration aims to develop operator-assist, remote operation, and partial autonomy functions for digging and loading, supporting the next generation of mining operations.

Under the agreement, Hitachi Construction Machinery will develop the remote operation systems, while Rio Tinto will deploy ultra-large hydraulic excavators equipped with these technologies at its Pilbara sites in Western Australia.

Partial autonomy functions will allow operators to set initial digging and dump positions, with the system automatically repeating subsequent operations.

Hitachi Construction Machinery is targeting the development of an interoperable platform by 2030, capable of managing multiple ultra-large hydraulic excavators with partial autonomy across mining sites.

The partnership builds on previous collaborations between the two companies, including testing boom and arm durability and evaluating operator-assist technologies.

The new program expands these efforts toward practical application of autonomous operation technologies under diverse site conditions.

Hiroshi Kanezawa, executive officer and vice president of the Mining Business Unit at Hitachi Construction Machinery, said, “Our new concept ‘LANDCROS’ embodies our desires for ‘Customer’, ‘Reliable’, ‘Open’, and ‘Solutions’—reliable and open solutions for our customers—and expresses the direction that the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group wish to take.

“Under this concept, we are confident that open collaboration with Rio Tinto, which has extensive expertise in mining operations, will accelerate the development of highly versatile autonomous operation technologies for the benefit of the whole mining industry.”