automation is testing 850,000 lb self - driving mining trucks in Illinois in the US . The trucks are already in use in mines in Western Australia . The company also makes semi - autonomous drills , three of which can be deployed by a single worker . A recent study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment found that automation was likely to employ between 60 % and 80 % of workers at mines .
Caterpillar is testing 850,000lb self-driving mining trucks in Illinois in the US. The trucks are already in use in mines in Western Australia. The company also makes semi-autonomous drills, three of which can be deployed by a single worker. A recent study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment predicted that automation was likely to replace between 40% and 80% of workers at mines.