Rio Tinto to launch first autonomous water trucks at Gudai-Darri

23 Jun 2021 CW Team

The vehicle's smart onboard system detects the dry and dusty condition on-site, triggering the application of water to roads to keep them in good condition.

The refilling method is also fully automated, with the water trucks recognising when it is time to refill, prompting them to self-drive to the water stand, park and top-up before returning to the field. They boast a 160,000-litre tank capacity, a 33% rise on Rio Tinto's largest water truck with a tank capacity of 120,000-litres.

The water trucks will be integrated into Rio Tinto's existing Autonomous Haulage System once deployed, which has significantly improved safety by reducing the risks associated with operators working around heavy machinery.

Simon Trott, Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive, told the media that they had worked closely with Caterpillar to safely and successfully deploy the world's first fully autonomous water truck. He added that water spraying is a vital part of mining operations, and this new technology would enhance productivity and reduce water usage across their operations.

Gudai-Darri is located approximately 35 km north-west of Rio Tinto's Yandicoogina mine site 110 km from the town of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia is 100% owned by Rio Tinto.

The construction continues to progress, with production ramp-up on track for early 2022. The mine is going to have an annual capacity of 43 million tonnes (mt) once complete, underpinning the production of the Pilbara Blend, Rio Tinto's flagship iron ore product.

Caterpillar was founded in 1925 and is an industry-leading construction and mining equipment manufacturer, diesel and natural gas engines, gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Caterpillar and Rio Tinto's relationship extends over 50 years.

Image Source

Also read: Caterpillar updates cold planers to make it easier to work at night

Also read: Caterpillar completes 50 years of manufacturing in India

Three water trucks, developed through a successful collaboration with the leading equipment manufacturer, Caterpillar, will join Gudai-Darri's fleet of Caterpillar heavy mobile equipment, including autonomous haul trucks and production drills. The vehicle's smart onboard system detects the dry and dusty condition on-site, triggering the application of water to roads to keep them in good condition. The refilling method is also fully automated, with the water trucks recognising when it is time to refill, prompting them to self-drive to the water stand, park and top-up before returning to the field. They boast a 160,000-litre tank capacity, a 33% rise on Rio Tinto's largest water truck with a tank capacity of 120,000-litres. The water trucks will be integrated into Rio Tinto's existing Autonomous Haulage System once deployed, which has significantly improved safety by reducing the risks associated with operators working around heavy machinery. Simon Trott, Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive, told the media that they had worked closely with Caterpillar to safely and successfully deploy the world's first fully autonomous water truck. He added that water spraying is a vital part of mining operations, and this new technology would enhance productivity and reduce water usage across their operations. Gudai-Darri is located approximately 35 km north-west of Rio Tinto's Yandicoogina mine site 110 km from the town of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia is 100% owned by Rio Tinto. The construction continues to progress, with production ramp-up on track for early 2022. The mine is going to have an annual capacity of 43 million tonnes (mt) once complete, underpinning the production of the Pilbara Blend, Rio Tinto's flagship iron ore product. Caterpillar was founded in 1925 and is an industry-leading construction and mining equipment manufacturer, diesel and natural gas engines, gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Caterpillar and Rio Tinto's relationship extends over 50 years. Image Source Also read: Caterpillar updates cold planers to make it easier to work at night Also read: Caterpillar completes 50 years of manufacturing in India

Infrastructure Transport

10 Jul 2026

Uttar Pradesh unveils infrastructure-led growth roadmap at RAHSTA

Mumbai, 9 July 2026: Uttar Pradesh’s ambitious infrastructure-led growth strategy took centre stage on Day 2 of the 16th RAHSTA Expo, where senior government officials outlined how expressways, industrial corridors and technology-driven governance are transforming the state into one of India's most attractive investment destinations.Delivering the keynote address, Srihari Pratap Shahi, IAS, Additional Chief Executive Officer, Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), highlighted the state's long-term vision of integrating world-class expressways with industrial dev..

Real Estate

10 Jul 2026

NCW closes PRIME Offices Fund at Rs 40 billion

Nuvama and Cushman & Wakefield Management (NCW) has announced the final close of its flagship PRIME Offices Fund at approximately Rs 40 billion, exceeding its original target of Rs 30 billion following strong investor demand.The fund was launched to provide Indian investors with access to institutional-grade commercial office assets across key office markets in the country. According to NCW, the increase in the fund size was supported by strong investor participation and the availability of investment opportunities in India's office sector.The fund has already committed around 45 per cent ..

Real Estate

10 Jul 2026

Mayfair Housing adopts Autodesk Forma for digital project planning

Mayfair Housing has entered into a three-year strategic partnership with Autodesk to deploy Autodesk Forma, an AI-enabled cloud platform, as part of its digital transformation programme aimed at improving project planning and execution across its development and redevelopment portfolio.The platform will be integrated into the company's Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflow to support architects, planners and project teams during the early stages of design and development. Autodesk Forma combines real-world data, environmental simulations and collaborative workflows to facilitate data-d..