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21-02-2012, 11:00 AM | #1 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Sun City, North Australis
Posts: 4,274
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In a move which will lead to less people actually being employed Rio Tinto now plans to automate its trains..... They already have automated mine dump trucks.... and plan to have a fully automated minesite.
As yes the great Australian mining boom....... Quote:
There are plans also (not by Rio) to run automated B-Doubles from a NSW port to a distribution center warehouse in the not to distant future.
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You've seen it, you've heard it and your still asking questions?? Don't write off the Goose until you see the box going into the hole.... |
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21-02-2012, 11:20 AM | #2 | ||
Petro-sexual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 4,527
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Technology will always appear in every industry.
Cars used to be put together with hand held spot welders. Manual labour will be replaced wherever, and whenever, possible. |
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21-02-2012, 12:09 PM | #3 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: NSW
Posts: 4,334
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Been driverless trains for years now in certain places.
Too many variables on the track for a computer to navigate |
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21-02-2012, 12:19 PM | #4 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: On The Footplate.
Posts: 5,086
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I'd love to see them try to work that out here..."hey, that idiot car driver went across the road crossing in front of us instead of obeying the boom gates and flashing lights! Hit the brakes!"..."Those kids riding trail bikes in the bush up ahead are a bit close to the tracks, better sound the horn and give them a warning we're coming"..."Whoa...that clay hole at the 180km mark is starting to develop a bit of a good kick when we hit it at 70kph...better tell control to put a verbal speed restriction of 40kph until they can get out and put speed boards up"...and that kind of thing.
Not exactly sure how the workers are "exposed to the mining environment"...we sit in a nice air conditioned cabin sealed up against the coal dust and crap outside... Automation has it's place...but not in an environment where continual vigilance and changing circumstances moment to moment can make things "interesting" to say the least... I'd heard that on suburban lines in some places in Japan they have "driverless trains", but funnily enough they have to employ a guy in a uniform to sit up front in the cabin because no one would get on board a fully automated train with no human there to step in if something went wrong... |
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