Biggest Miner Tracking Trucker Brain Waves in Technology Race
- BHP deploying new technology to detect fatigue at mine sites
- Producer also has begun work on driverless trains: executive
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Truck drivers employed by the world’s biggest mining company are wearing baseball caps and hard helmets with sensors mounted inside to track their brain waves so they can get early warnings of fatigue and cut accidents.
BHP Billiton Ltd. has deployed the technology for 150 trucks at the Escondida copper mine it operates in Chile as part of efforts to boost safety, Chief Technology Officer Diane Jurgens told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of a mining forum in Melbourne. The company intends to adopt the method at other sites globally, including its giant iron ore mines in Australia, she said.