“Autonomous vehicle technology is still in its infancy, which means that most self-driving vehicles still have a way for humans to take over when needed. But as Komatsu demonstrates with a design for a new autonomous dump truck, in some cases there are real advantages to eliminating humans altogether. In a massive strip mine, where there are no people walking around and very few hazards, so the need for a backup driver in a vehicle that’s continually retracing the same route all day long is unnecessary. Back in 2008, Komatsu actually started testing self-driving mining vehicles, but they were conventional trucks upgraded with autonomous capabilities, which meant they still had a cab for a driver to ride along.”