KAMAZ PTC and Kuzbass State Technical University named after. T. F. Gorbachev are developing an unmanned mining dump truck with a lifting capacity of 220 tonnes.
The dump truck will be developed as part of the Clean Coal – Green Kuzbass comprehensive scientific and technical program of the full innovation cycle with the support of the Kuzbass Research and Education Center. It involves the development and implementation of technologies in the exploration and production of solid minerals, ensuring industrial safety, creating new products of deep processing from coal raw materials while consistently reducing the environmental impact and hazards to life. The program combines research, innovation, production and market launch of high-tech, knowledge-intensive products. “We already see that the developed technologies are effective and there is interest in them. In 2026, the implementation of all received developments will be completed, the final results will be presented and evaluated, including, undoubtedly, benefits for the economy of Kuzbass and a reduction in the burden on the environment,” noted Irina Ganieva, director of the Kuzbass REC.
The work on the creation of a dump truck will start in February 2024, when the laboratories of “Modeling and digital twins” and “Digital dispatch system and unmanned control” will open at the KuzSTU scientific center “Digital Technologies” with the assistance of KAMAZ PTC and the Kuzbass Research Center. Among the main tasks of the research sites is a theoretical study of the movement of a mining dump truck through simulation modeling, as well as the development of a software and hardware complex for the design of an unmanned mining dump truck, a preliminary design of a dump truck and a technical design of an unmanned traffic system, technical design and working design documentation for a digital coal mining dispatch system. The operator will also monitor the operation of the equipment remotely.
According to the project, the load capacity of the robot dump truck will be 220 tonnes, and its movements will be specified in trajectories in the digital platform. The innovative design of the machine will allow it to move along a given route in robotic mode. This will eliminate maneuvers during loading and on the dump, which will reduce operating costs for transporting rock mass by increasing productivity. Fuel costs and costs for large tires will also be reduced.
The second stage of theoretical research has already been completed, at the moment a preliminary design has been developed and a technical project has been created for a digital dispatch system for a coal mine. Scientists will begin more detailed research after the opening of the laboratories.
It should be noted that KAMAZ has been cooperating with the largest engineering university in Russia for several years. In addition to joint work on the creation of unmanned dump trucks, which has been ongoing since 2021, the parties are actively interacting on the issues of training promising personnel for Russian industry.