KOMATSU
Komatsu to Strengthen Support for Customer Operator Training
Reported by Masakazu Kawakita, Komatsu Ltd.

Immersive Technologies’ simulator using a modular kit for Komatsu D475A bulldozer

Customers’ mine sites are precisely replicated to let operators experience what it is like to be working at the actual job site.

The simulator allows operations under a variety of conditions such as daytime, nighttime, rain or snow to be duplicated.
As global demand for natural resources and energy rises, customers in the mining industry, in particular, are increasing their production volume, requiring an increase in the number of operators accordingly. This in turn makes operator training a critical issue for customers, who rely on Komatsu’s expertise to provide the kind of support that ensures their equipment is optimally employed at job sites.

Operator training is generally conducted using actual machines, which is accompanied by such constraints as difficulties securing machines for training or being affected by the weather. Simulator-based operator training has thus been gaining a great deal of attention. The merits of using a simulator can be summarized as follows:
  1. No need to secure machines for training
  2. No fear of damaging machines
  3. Saves on costs for fuels, tires, oil and expendable parts
  4. Can experience accidents, fires and rollover for which training is impossible using actual machines, and practice the correct response
Recently, Komatsu established a partnership with Australia-based mining equipment simulator manufacturer Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd (IT) in order to develop simulators for Komatsu equipment and continuously improve their simulators’ performance. The overall goal is to employ simulators for customer operator training to achieve enhanced machine safety and operating efficiency. IT’s Advanced Equipment Simulators offer the following features:
  1. Training environments can be established that simulate the exact geographic features of the customer’s mine
  2. Training results of a trainee can be assessed from various perspectives
  3. With the ownership of one simulator, customers can easily swap between Komatsu machine models via modular kits
IT’s Advanced Equipment Simulators use genuine Komatsu components from the cabin interior such as the operator seat, control panels, switches and levers. This allows operators to experience the same functions as if they were operating an actual machine. The unique geographic features of respective job sites are projected on a display with an uninterrupted field of view just like sitting in the actual operator seat, enabling learning of operations under those conditions. Moreover, various settings can be modified to simulate machine breakdown, fire or changes in the terrain.

Komatsu will provide IT with technological data to support its development of simulators.