SIMULATORS & TRAINING
are not accurately being recorded . So all these direct inputs by the operator we have incorporated into our simulator environment .”
Immersive says it is also open to making similar solutions for other fleet management systems should customers want to do that as the fundamentals are largely the same . And interoperability is not as much of an issue here – Immersive is emulating the same functionality but does not have to integrate with the OEM panel in the truck to make it work in a simulated environment . And it is a fact that even for the same FMS , they are very customised to each minesite , so the user interface panel may look different for different mines – Immersive can accommodate that . “ We are replicating the specific customer view of the user interface , not a generalised version .”
In a similar vein , collision avoidance is another area in which Immersive Technologies is now actively looking at deploying its expertise , in terms of training operators on how to react to alarms or warnings they may receive from third party collision avoidance or awareness systems . Sukumaran : “ We have a number of customer requests and enquiries relating to this relating to different collision avoidance systems . We would emulate for example a Level 8 CAS alarm and as part of the operator training , give the trainee a few seconds to see how they respond and store those results then train them on what the correct response is in different situations . We have a number of advanced discussions with global mining companies underway and things are evolving towards that .”
Finally , the whole mining industry is beginning to slowly but surely evolve away from diesel powered haulage to either battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell power or a hybrid of the two . This means a different approach to fleet operations , especially when aspects like charging are brought into the mix . What role will simulator training have and how advanced is simulator based training in interim solutions such as trolley assist leading to trolley battery ? “ We have supplied training packages for trolley assist truck operators , including truck pantograph integration into the simulation , to a few customers already including Boliden and FQML that actually goes back four years or more . When it comes to battery charging , the industry is still evolving and until there is a clear picture of what ’ s required from a training perspective , we are keeping our eyes very much open in that area to help our customers and of course Komatsu with solutions . It is certainly coming and we need to be ready .”
Then there is the issue of combining future zero emissions haulage solutions with autonomy . As an example one thing being looked at is how autonomous trucks are going to be able to go in and out of charging areas but maybe having that part of the cycle manual for now as an interim step , so this is something that may need a training solution . One great advantage of simulation is that it is so customisable – if the roadmap to net zero is for now quite different for some Tier 1 mining customers – for example one opting for a different charging strategy to another or power source to another – Immersive Technologies says it will be able to emulate different truck operator training packages as needed . “ Yes that will increase our back-end development costs but this transition is so important for these miners and for the wider industry that we have to be able to offer options , in the same way that were able to initially lead and now continue to lead in simulator training for AHS for operator roles , for example .”
Immersive says its autonomous fleet training offering continues to evolve – “ we are continually expanding functionality within our available training solutions for AHS fleets , which now includes new areas such as virtual classroom e- learning and virtual machine inspection . Our customers are also telling us that there is an increasing need for better training for back office AHS staff such as controllers and system builders and we are looking to see what we can do there .” Until recently , the focus on training for AHS has been in the pit – training the operators of the equipment that is interacting and to some extent helping manage the autonomous trucks – such