Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is heading up a project to develop new collision avoidance technology for mine haul trucks.
Mine haul trucks limit have limited vision, making them vulnerable to collisions with smaller vehicles.
A recent case in South Africa involved a light vehicle coming between two haul trucks, causing the larger vehicle to run over the smaller one.
To tackle this problem, the project aims to develop a 360° proximity detection system to alert a driver if a hidden object is moving towards a mine haul truck.
CSIRO Exploration & Mining's project leader Dr Patrick Glynn says the research will incorporate "a standard Doppler radar system" integrated with signal processing.
A prototype has already been tested at the Goonyella Riverside coal mine in Queensland, one of the largest open cut coal mines in Australia.
The project is being funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP).
By Ozge Ibrahim
