Volvo, a Swedish multinational automotive company well versed in the business of cars, busses, trucks, and heavy construction equipment, tried the vehicle on narrow tunnels 7 km long.
The test was aimed at improving the transport flow and safety for the underground working areas.
According to Gear Brain, the tough challenges and environment in the mines was taken into consideration for testing the truck to face more than what was thought off. It high end cameras and sensors contributed for making the test successful.
"This is the world's first fully self-driving truck to operate under such tough conditions. It is a true challenge to ensure that everything works meticulously more than 1300 meter underground," said Torbjörn Holmström, member of the Volvo Group Executive Board and Volvo Group Chief Technology Officer.
Holmström involved himself in the experimentation of the self-driving truck by standing at the center of the dark narrow tunnel with an approaching truck in order to check the vehicles capabilities. The truck stopped few inches away from the Volvo official. A film was also recorded showing the instances in the test.
"No matter what type of vehicle we develop, safety is always our primary concern and this also applies to self-driving vehicles. I was convinced the truck would stop but naturally I felt a knot in my stomach until the truck applied its brakes," he said.
Other automotive companies test their vehicles on world class highways, but Volvo chose to experiment underground to make the life of miners easy.
