Baowu Steel deploys autonomous wide body trucks at Nanshan mining complex with ZTE 5G and Vipioneers technology

Two 60 t payload LGMG CMT96 wide body mining trucks are now running autonomously at the Nanshan iron ore mining complex (specifically the Heshangqiao Iron Mine, Ma’anshan City) of Baowu Maanshan Iron and Steel Group in Anhui Province, China. Baowu was formed by Baosteel Group absorbing its smaller peer, Wuhan Iron and Steel, in 2016. The project partners are 5G provider ZTE, autonomous technology company Vipioneers (also called Huituo or Waytous), China Telecom Anhui and Quanzhou Fengye Electronics. The autonomous fleet will be expanded going forward as the project develops.

The project uses 5G low-latency technology to enable operation of a 5G intelligent dispatch system, a collaborative loading and unloading system, an emergency takeover system, and comprehensive use of unmanned aerial inspection, VR real-field observation of the mine pit, high-definition wireless video monitoring, and other technologies. It allows for precise control and unified coordination to achieve automatic obstacle avoidance, automatic adjustment of transportation speed and coordinated operation with excavators, reducing waiting times and vehicle congestion during transportation.

This project is the first successful demonstration of commercial 5G Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) in the field of ferrous metal mining in Anhui Province. Relying on ZTE's 5G enterprise wireless private network + MEC high-performance edge computing platform, it supports the operation of the two open-pit 5G unmanned mining vehicles. The partners says it also represents the first domestic example of unmanned and manned mining trucks working together in an open-pit mine.

ZTE says it will continue to deepen cooperation with China Telecom Anhui, Baowu Maanshan Iron and Steel Group and Huituo Intelligence to help Maanshan Iron and Steel Group further expand the practical application of 5G in mining, beneficiation, equipment maintenance and other scenarios. This includes applications such as backhoe excavator remote control, 5G-based belt conveyor inspection, automatic batching of silos, remote diagnostic-level maintenance of equipment health, and 5G+AR equipment dismantling.