“People may ask why a manufacturing company like Caterpillar has decided to participate in CES,” says Denise Johnson, group president, Resource Industries. “The real question is ‘why not?’ We’re proud of our reputation for building some of the biggest, most productive machines in the world. But the technology that goes along with those machines is built by Caterpillar, too.”
Caterpillar plans on focusing its Consumer Electronics Show (CES) virtual booth on its mining technologies, which are making new inroads to take productivity and safety of customer operations to unprecedented levels.
Autonomous Mining
Cat’s first research into autonomous vehicles began in the 1980s, with prototype autonomous Cat trucks running in a quarry as early as the 1990s. The first official MineStar Command for hauling site began operating in 2013 and today Caterpillar has more than 350 trucks operating 24/7 on three continents.
“The CES show is filled with innovators who are always looking for the next technology breakthrough,” says Johnson. “We’re proud to be on that journey, too. But while we continue to innovate for the future, the technologies Caterpillar has developed are doing real work and delivering real results to our mining customers every day.”
Cat’s CES Experience
Cat plans to show off its broad portfolio of CAT MineStar technology solutions, and the virtual showcase will include several product demonstrations with both manned and unmanned surface operations. From an autonomous haulage solution operating in extreme conditions in Canada to tracking technology in use at a mine operating miles below ground in Australia, CAT will go in-depth about how delivering autonomy in the mining industry is different than automotive and other industries traditionally present at CES.