Russian steelmaker Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works has begun the testing of an unmanned KAMAZ vehicle at its industrial site. The cargo truck, the KAMAZ-43118, is going through test runs to transport refractory materials from pre-production warehouses to the site where coke plant No 12 is being built. The all-wheel-drive autonomous vehicle with a payload capacity of 10 tonnes uses sensors, cameras and radar, as well as data from its navigation system and instructions encoded in the software, for spatial orientation. During testing, all of the vehicle’s actions are controlled by an operator in the passenger seat. The vehicle is equipped with a speed control system and adaptive cruise control. It can also read road signs, pass through intersections without interfering with other road users, recognize traffic signals and come to a stop to avoid trains at crossings. Unmanned vehicles are particularly advantageous because of their unlimited operating capacity. A single operator can control more than one vehicle. In addition, unlike people, the vehicles do not tire or make mistakes, even on difficult routes, in low temperatures or in poor visibility. The vehicle’s movements are monitored by an operator in the control room who can intervene, take control or hand it over to the vehicle itself. An antenna installed on the cabin ensures constant communication with the operator and coordination with other vehicles. Company plans to test unmanned vehicles produced by the Ural Automotive Plant at MMK-METIZ’s metalware calibration plant in the future. The use of such advanced logistics solutions is part of MMK’s development strategy, and unmanned vehicles are set to improve the Company’s transport efficiency and increase its digitalization.
Russian steelmaker Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works has begun the testing of an unmanned KAMAZ vehicle at its industrial site. The cargo truck, the KAMAZ-43118, is going through test runs to transport refractory materials from pre-production warehouses to the site where coke plant No 12 is being built. The all-wheel-drive autonomous vehicle with a payload capacity of 10 tonnes uses sensors, cameras and radar, as well as data from its navigation system and instructions encoded in the software, for spatial orientation. During testing, all of the vehicle’s actions are controlled by an operator in the passenger seat. The vehicle is equipped with a speed control system and adaptive cruise control. It can also read road signs, pass through intersections without interfering with other road users, recognize traffic signals and come to a stop to avoid trains at crossings. Unmanned vehicles are particularly advantageous because of their unlimited operating capacity. A single operator can control more than one vehicle. In addition, unlike people, the vehicles do not tire or make mistakes, even on difficult routes, in low temperatures or in poor visibility. The vehicle’s movements are monitored by an operator in the control room who can intervene, take control or hand it over to the vehicle itself. An antenna installed on the cabin ensures constant communication with the operator and coordination with other vehicles. Company plans to test unmanned vehicles produced by the Ural Automotive Plant at MMK-METIZ’s metalware calibration plant in the future. The use of such advanced logistics solutions is part of MMK’s development strategy, and unmanned vehicles are set to improve the Company’s transport efficiency and increase its digitalization.
