--- title: "Australian Autonomous Train Is The “World’s Largest Robot”" description: "A mining corporation says an autonomous rail system it's been developing in Australia is fully operational, making it the \"world's largest robot.\"" date: "2018-12-28" modified: "2018-12-28" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-largest-robot-autonomous-train" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" tags: - "autonomous train" - "Mining" - "rio tinto" - "the digest" --- # Australian Autonomous Train Is The “World’s Largest Robot” ![A mining corporation says an autonomous rail system it's been developing in Australia is fully operational, making it the "world's largest robot."]() *\Image: Rio Tinto\* ## Robot Train Mining corporation Rio Tinto [says that an autonomous rail system]() called AutoHaul that it's been developing in the remote Pilbara region of Australia [for several years]() is now entirely operational — an accomplishment the company says makes the system the "world's largest robot." "It’s been a challenging journey to automate a rail network of this size and scale in a remote location like the Pilbara," Rio Tinto's managing director Ivan Vella told the *Sidney Morning Herald*, "but early results indicate significant potential to improve productivity, providing increased system flexibility and reducing bottlenecks." ## One Track Minded The ore-hauling train is just one part of an ambitious automation project involving robotics and driverless vehicles that Rio Tinto wants to use to [automate its mining operations](). The company conducted its first test of the train without a human on board earlier this year, and it now claims that the system has completed more than a million kilometers (620,000 miles) of autonomous travel. In response to concerns from labor unions, Rio Tinto [promised that]() the autonomous rail system will not eliminate any existing jobs in the coming year — though it's difficult to imagine the project won't cut into human jobs in the long term. **READ MORE:** ['World's Largest Robot' Operational as Pilbara Driverless Rail Goes Live]() \[*Sidney Morning Herald*\] ***More on trains:* *This Driverless Train Can Run on Virtual Rails*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()