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Autonomous Yard Shifting 101- ASI Revolutionizes Yard Shifting

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Autonomous yard shifting uses trucks from different OEMs to perform daily tasks and routines without the need for a driver in the cab. As a result, it offers the ability to oversee and control operations of multiple trucks from a control room onsite, or thousands of miles away. The industry’s most capable and proven command and control software, Mobius, integrated with Yard Management Software (YMS), and Vehicle Automation Kits (VAK) make autonomous yard shifting a reality. When combined, these solutions enable yard shifting to run at its highest potential, around the clock, without breaks, little maintenance, and scheduled repairs.

Yard shifting can be dull, dirty, and dangerous at times, but often is the most integral part of the supply chain. Bottlenecks and hazards at yard shifting facilities mean lost revenue, time, and resources. Consequently, a company is only as efficient as its weakest link in the supply chain, and often that weak link is in the yard shifting environment. Safety, driver shortages, inefficient use of time, improper scheduling, and the logistics of overseeing a yard are some of the major problems in the yard shifting industry.

The solution to these problems lies in autonomy. Automation in yard shifting offers a consistent, safe, and highly efficient solution to manage your facility’s operations while reducing the number of obstacles to achieve peak efficiency.

Who is ASI and what they are doing?

For over 20 years Autonomous Solutions Inc. (ASI) has been the industry leader in vehicle automation. ASI strives to help organizations reach their potential through innovative robotic solutions.  Above all, ASI provides safer, more efficient, and cost-effective solutions to improve many aspects of yard shifting.

ASI employs the most experienced team of engineers when it comes to vehicle automation.  With our 20+ years of experience, onsite testing tracks, and over 1,000 deployed automated vehicles throughout the world, ASI is the clear choice for yard shifting automation.  With partnerships including Terberg, AutoCar, FANUC, and Phantom Auto, ASI offers a proven solution with any type of yard truck. As a result, diesel, electric, and drive-by-wire yard trucks can be made autonomous through leveraging ASI’s technologies and experience.

ASI has automated vehicles with Ford Motor Company, Luke Air Force Base and Rio Tinto, and has extended that knowledge and technical expertise into yard shifting automation. A key ingredient to ASI’s automation success is our advanced automation software Mobius.  Mobius has been in development for over 20 years and has been an integral part of every vehicle we have automated. ASI has invested millions of dollars, data, and hours into Mobius and refining vehicle automation to create the best yard shifting solution on the market today. The future of yard shifting is here, and ASI is excited to share it with the world.

ASI autonomous yard shifting truck

About ASI

 Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah.

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) Receives Phase two Funding for Deep Learning Multi-Sensor Fusion Development.

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New architecture to increase situational awareness and safety in GPS-compromised environments.

[Mendon, UT] Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) has been awarded a Phase Two grant from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicles Systems Center (formerly TARDEC). Based on the progress achieved during Phase One, ASI was chosen to continue development of a Deep Learning (DL) architecture that will support sensor fusion in environments with limited, or no, GPS. Specifically, ASI is making rapid advancements in triangulating data inputs from traditional cameras, LiDAR, and radar to feed machine learning that will provide clearer visibility, predictability, and safety in environments where GPS integrity is restricted or where GPS cannot be utilized at all.
 
“The objective is to create clearer real-time understanding of an autonomous vehicle’s surroundings, especially when navigating through compromised weather, environments, or conditions,” said Jeff Ferrin, Chief Technology Officer at ASI. “As self-driving vehicles advance, especially for industrial use, the need to utilize machine learning, deep learning, and other artificial intelligence algorithms to improve performance in challenging environments only increases. Therefore, the success of this project is critically important – not only for the direct application within the U.S. military, but for applications across ASI’s multiple lines of business.”
 
In the case of a deep learning architecture that fuses information from LiDAR, radar and cameras, the innovation could not come soon enough for some industries – especially mining.
 
“As global mining operations re-evaluate orebody economics and redesign mines as a result of automation, mining operations will become increasingly complex and dependent on technology. By association, the need for advanced visibility and situational awareness increases exponentially,” explains Chris Soccio, General Manager of the Ferrexpo Yeristovo operations. “In locations where GPS or communications networks are compromised or unreliable, the ability to leverage machine learning fed by three diverse input methods becomes not only immediately desirable, but essential to ensure system redundancy for safe and efficient mining.”
 
ASI expects to complete the Phase Two assignment by September 2022.

About ASI

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah.

MS4M and ASI Mining Announce Compatibility for Autonomous Mining Fleets

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Mendon Utah – ASI Mining and MS4M, a provider of real-time mine management and optimization solutions, have entered into an agreement to ensure compatibility between ASI Mining’s Mobius® Platform and MS4M’s ControlSense® fleet management system (FMS) software for autonomous vehicles.

ASI Mining’s Traffic Management System (TMS) is designed to work with a variety of FMS providers.  This latest compatibility announcement will give existing MS4M users the ability to implement ASI Mining’s Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) using an open FMS/TMS interface. Future MS4M customers will also have assurance of a pathway to AHS by leveraging this same interface.

MS4M’s rapidly expanding client base includes 11 sites worldwide with primary production fleets ranging from 20 to over 100 units. As each of these sites consider future plans for autonomous operations, this interface will play a critical role in their ability to extend the benefits of autonomous functionality using Mobius as an autonomy platform. In addition, mines can further extend functionality via the growing list of Mobius-supported partner OEM vehicles and equipment.

“ASI Mining is pleased to work with MS4M and offer greater interoperability for all MS4M customers wishing to deploy automation solutions without having to replace the FMS, as is common with other AHS providers,” said Drew Larsen, Director of Business Development, ASI Mining.

“We are excited by the opportunity to collaboratively support OEM agnostic solutions that enable the deployment of mixed autonomous fleets within the same operation,” said Wilder Pando, CEO, MS4M. “Integration of our world-class mine management and optimization suite of products with ASI Mining’s traffic management and onboard autonomy will provide mines with a significant degree of flexibility and optionality as automation migration paths are developed and implemented.  Beyond supporting a staged approach in the presence of mixed fleets, this will mitigate the dependency on a single solution provider.”

xASI Mining looks forward to working with MS4M to expand automation options for mine operators seeking to extend their capabilities. This collaboration gives mine operators a robust OEM-independent TMS and FMS combination.

As mining technology matures, an increasing number of mines are seeking ways to automate on their own terms, without the requirement to replace infrastructure or fleets ahead of schedule. Interfaces between systems from ASI Mining and MS4M help make that possible.

Mine operators interested in an OEM-independent approach using solutions from MS4M and ASI Mining can learn more at ASIMining.com.

About ASI Mining / ASI

ASI Mining is partially owned by Epiroc, which acquired 34% of the company in 2018. ASI Mining is recognized for its products and solutions in robotics and autonomous vehicle technology including autonomous haulage, semi-autonomous blasting, drilling, dozing, loading and other applications. In addition to providing solutions for some of the world’s largest mining corporations, ASI Mining is also an automation partner for several global mining vehicle manufacturers. ASI Mining’s majority parent (66% shareholder), Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah. Learn more at www.asirobots.com.

Partnership to Deploy Unmanned Yard Trucks

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Video of the unmanned yard truck solution: https://youtu.be/vZzrJJknpOU

 
Mendon, Utah; Mountain View, California; and Benschop, Netherlands – A new fully unmanned yard truck solution combines the expertise of four companies: Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI), a world leader in vehicle automation; Phantom Auto, the leading provider of remote communication software for unmanned vehicles; FANUC America Corporation, the world leader in robotics, CNC systems, and factory automation; and Terberg, a world renowned truck manufacturer.

ASI’s Mobius® software gives operators real-time awareness and control of a fleet of unmanned trucks, each of which is driven by ASI’s proven autonomous vehicle technology. Phantom Auto’s remote communication layer provides a reliable link between the Mobius software and the trucks over any network, enabling monitoring, tele-assistance, and tele-driving. The Mobius application gets orders from an operator or management system, plans a path for a truck to pick up and drop off a trailer, and sends the plan to the truck. The Terberg yard truck, with automation-ready drive-by-wire electronic controls, is driven by ASI software to the trailer or dock. There, a FANUC robotic arm uses proprietary technology to connect or disconnect the pneumatic brake line to the trailer, making this a truly end-to-end solution. By making high-quality, real-time control possible across broad geographic coverage areas, ASI’s unmanned yard truck solution increases its customers’ vehicle operational efficiency and operational design domains.

The unmanned yard truck solution is:

  1. vehicle-agnostic, so customers can work with their existing fleet and preferred yard truck brand;
  2. hardware-agnostic and easy to integrate, so that customers can use the solution without overhauling their vehicle hardware architecture; and
  3. requires no modifications to trailers in order to obtain air line connections.

“With both Phantom and ASI’s technology combined into one product, we believe we have the most scalable end-to-end solution in the market, enabling our yard truck customers to get out of a sandbox environment and into actual deployments,” said Mel Torrie, founder and CEO of ASI. “Phantom is excited to partner with one of the top autonomy providers to continue deploying unmanned vehicles across the logistics market,” said Shai Magzimof, founder and CEO of Phantom Auto. Added Elliot Katz, co-founder of Phantom Auto: “With our yard truck solution, we are proving once again that autonomy combined with remote operation can get unmanned vehicles deployed today.”

About ASI

ASI is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients around the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries, with fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah.

About Phantom Auto

Founded in 2017 in Silicon Valley by a team of real-time networking and robotics experts, Phantom Auto specializes in the operation of unmanned vehicles with customers throughout the world. Phantom Auto’s software enables a human to remotely tele-monitor, tele-assist, and/or tele-drive fleets of unmanned vehicles from up to thousands of miles away. For more information on Phantom Auto, please visit: https://phantom.auto/

About Terberg Corporation

Founded in 1869, Terberg has a worldwide presence operating in over 120 countries worldwide and are supported by a network of international distributors and Terberg branches. Terberg focusses on innovation and is the trendsetter in the yard shifting market. For more information about Terberg, please visit: https://www.terbergbenschop.nl/en/

About FANUC America Corporation

FANUC America Corporation is a subsidiary of FANUC CORPORATION in Japan, and provides industry-leading robotics, CNC systems, and factory automation. FANUC’s innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers in the Americas maximize productivity, reliability and profitability. For more information please visit: https://www.fanucamerica.com

ASI Mining Signs Subcontract with Epiroc for Supply of 77 Autonomous Haulage Conversions for Roy Hill Iron Ore Mine

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Mendon Utah – ASI Mining has signed a subcontract with Epiroc to supply its autonomous haul truck solution to Roy Hill in Western Australia. This signing follows the recent award by Roy Hill to Epiroc, a global leader in mining equipment and drill automation, as the prime contractor for the project.

For its part, ASI Mining will supply the technology and systems to convert Roy Hill’s mixed fleet of 77 haul trucks from manned to autonomous operation. The project also includes integration with Fleet and other Mining Management Systems. For vehicle conversions to Drive-by-Wire capability, ASI utilizes its partner Danfoss, a major supplier of hydraulics and electronically controlled components for haul trucks, and recognized market-leading supplier of mobile systems to many mining equipment OEMs.

“Being chosen as the technology provider to Roy Hill is a testament that the market is eager to establish a more open and interoperable supplier in the AHS space, especially on retrofits, which will provide more flexibility than the traditional OEM offerings”, said Patrick Hald, General Manager of ASI Mining.

The project will focus on safe and highly productive operations and will leverage ASI’s Mobius™ to achieve an integration platform that can continue to scale for future applications. The project will consist of a phased implementation, with testing and production verification of up to eight trucks undertaken in the initial phase prior to the second phase of full fleet expansion from mid-2021.

For further information about the project, and images of the signing ceremony, please refer to the joint Roy Hill, Epiroc and ASI Mining media release located here.

About ASI Mining / ASI

ASI Mining is partially owned by Epiroc, which acquired 34% of the company in 2018. ASI Mining is recognized for its products and solutions in robotics and autonomous vehicle technology including autonomous haulage, semi-autonomous blasting, drilling, dozing, loading and other applications. In addition to providing solutions for some of the world’s largest mining corporations, ASI Mining is also an automation partner for several global mining vehicle manufacturers. ASI Mining’s majority parent (66% shareholder), Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah. Learn more at www.asirobots.com.

Roy Hill plots new path for end-to-end automation

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Roy Hill has signed a contract with Epiroc to deliver their automated haul truck solution.

Leading global mining equipment and services provider Epiroc, in partnership with automation specialist ASI Mining, is set to convert Roy Hill’s mixed fleet of 77 haul trucks from manned to autonomous use.

Epiroc/ASI Mining will meet Roy Hill’s requirements to deliver a safe, interoperable solution for its truck fleet. The solution will have the ability to expand to other mining vehicle types and manufacturers, as well as capability to integrate with existing and future Roy Hill systems. As part of this project Epiroc/ASI Mining will work closely with Hitachi/Wencomine on truck conversion and integration of Roy Hill’s existing Wenco fleet management system.

“Roy Hill is well positioned to transition to automation. Our teams on site and in our Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Perth have demonstrated a clear capacity to deliver complex projects, sustainable change and operational excellence with the recent success of the autonomous drill program and fleet optimization initiatives. Now is the right time to bring the combined expertise of Roy Hill, Epiroc, ASI Mining and Wenco together to convert our haul truck fleet,” said Roy Hill CEO Mr Barry Fitzgerald.

“Our Chairman, Mrs Gina Rinehart, and our owners Hancock Prospecting, Marubeni, POSCO and China Steel Corporation, have led this project from the start in the interests of staff safety and sustainable productivity. Their vision has set us a challenge to seek out partners who have an aligned tenacity and commitment to bring viable autonomous solutions to the table, and I look forward to realising the significant safety and productivity benefits that will come with this shared goal,” he added.

Roy Hill’s people are at the forefront of the decision to undertake truck automation, with Mr. Fitzgerald confirming safety as a key driver of the project. The commitment to people also extends to the effective transition of impacted operators to other roles. In addition, Mr Fitzgerald anticipated a range of operational benefits including increased productivity of the fleet.

“Care is one of our core values, with safety at the heart of everything we do. Roy Hill’s Smart Mine program is driving innovation across our business, and the automation of our haulage fleet is central to delivering safety and production improvements,” Mr Fitzgerald added.

Having delivered major automation projects across the globe, Epiroc and ASI Mining will bring together a highly credentialled delivery team based in West Australia who will leverage the know-how of a worldwide team of experts.

“Epiroc is proud to collaborate with Roy Hill, ASI Mining and other partners to automate Roy Hill’s haul truck fleet, boosting safety and productivity for a crucial aspect of its mining operation,” says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s Senior Executive Vice President Mining and Infrastructure. “This is a very strong example of how automation will take a mining company’s operation to the next level.”

ASI Chief Executive Officer, Mel Torrie, said “ASI Mining is pleased to partner with all key suppliers including mining technology integrator Sedna to deliver an AHS solution at Roy Hill – a world-class major iron ore operation. As a manufacturer-agnostic solutions provider, ASI Mining looks forward to highlighting the opportunities presented by an interoperable approach to autonomous mining.”

Roy Hill has carefully considered the impact of this project on its people, with re-skilling and re-deployment plans to assist operators’ transition to new roles within the business.

“Our people are the driving force behind our success. We are committed to an automation journey that creates an environment in which our people can develop new skills critical to the workforce of the future. Our focus is on setting people up to succeed and further contribute to the Roy Hill community,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

The project will see a phased implementation, with testing and production verification of up to eight trucks undertaken in the initial phase prior to the second phase of full fleet expansion from mid-2021.

About ASI

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah.

ASI improves algorithm to detect drop-offs and other large negative obstacles

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Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) has improved an algorithm for autonomous vehicles to detect drop-offs and other large negative obstacles often found in the environments in which automated off-road vehicles operate.

“ASI has developed a method for mapping point cloud occlusions in real-time,” said Taylor Bybee, Perception Tech Lead at ASI. “Which provides additional accuracy and safety when integrated into an autonomous vehicle obstacle detection and avoidance system.”

For safe navigation through an environment, autonomous ground vehicles rely on sensor data representing 3D space surrounding the vehicle. Often this data is obscured by objects or terrain, producing gaps in the sensor field of view. These gaps, or occlusions, can indicate the presence of obstacles, negative obstacles, or rough terrain.

Occlusions can be defined as a blockage which prevents a sensor from gathering data in a location. For example, occlusions can be seen as shadows in LiDAR data.

Because sensors receive no data in these occlusions, sensor data provides no explicit information about what might be found in the occluded areas. Information about the occlusions must be inferred from using an occlusion mapping algorithm to provide the navigation system with a more complete model of the environment.

“While sensor data itself doesn’t tell us what’s in the occluded areas, occlusions can represent negative obstacles like drop-offs or areas behind large obstacles,” said Jeff Ferrin, CTO at ASI. “It’s important to identify these areas for obstacle detection and avoidance to work properly.”

Application of this new technology can be useful in settings with dump edges at mine sites, steep road edges, canals, ditches, hills or stairs for indoor or urban environments.

The occlusion mapping algorithm has three main components.

The first is a sensor field of view (FOV) model that describes what obstacles the sensors are expected to detect. This component is designed for point cloud sensors such as 3D LiDAR, Flash LiDAR, Structured Light, and Stereo Cameras.

Second, an occlusion map is maintained and updated using the sensor FOV model and current sensor data to provide a probabilistic estimate on areas that have not been detected within the sensor FOV.

The third component is the integration of the occlusion map into an autonomous vehicle navigation system. It is designed to work with and complement existing obstacle detection and avoidance systems.

About ASI

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah.

Autonomous Solutions technology being used for New Holland Agriculture and Case IH pilot programs with large growers

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LOGAN, Utah, March 7, 2018 – Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) technology will be used in two pilot programs with large scale commercial growers in California. A partnership agreement has been announced between ASI, New Holland Agriculture, and E. & J. Gallo Winery, the largest family-owned winery in the world, to operate the autonomous vehicles in their vineyard operations. Similarly, there has also been a partnership announced between ASI, Case IH, and Campbell Soup Company’s Bolthouse Farms, one of North America’s largest vegetable growers.

New Holland T4.110F Vineyard Tractor. Photo courtesy of New Holland Agriculture.

The primary purpose of these pilot programs is to collect more data and feedback from the best farm operators.

“We are delighted to work with these world class organizations at this exciting time,” says Mel Torrie, CEO of ASI. “The technology maturity and lower costs are converging towards an automation disruption just in time to help with the severe shortage of farm labor.”

“We are delighted to work with these world class organizations at this exciting time.”

E. & J. Gallo Winery will be using T4.110F vineyard tractors in their operations in California that are fitted with autonomous technology. The systems will be performing a full range of maintenance and crop production tasks. These tasks are highly repetitive and are done many times throughout the year making it an ideal application for automation.

ASI and Case IH are also working with Bolthouse Farms. This pilot program, also based in California, will be using multiple autonomous Case IH Steiger® Quadtrac® tractors for crop tillage.

“Feedback from these operations is key for us to further refine the solution for specific implements and production scenarios.” says Bret Turpin, Agriculture Project Owner for ASI.

This work builds upon longstanding collaboration between ASI and these global agricultural manufacturers. Recently commercialized products, which have derived from the research and development activities of the autonomous program, have included the release of Case IH’s AccuTurn™ and New Holland Agriculture’s IntelliTurn™ automated end-of-row turning products.

About Autonomous Solutions, Inc.

ASI’s technology is currently being used by many of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers, in mining applications around the world, in defense and security applications, mowing applications and material handling applications and more.

ASI’s core technology platform integrates into existing vehicles and interfaces with ASI’s Mobius® command and control software. This technology can be applied to many industries and commercial settings. Mobius® allows industries to be more efficient, safer, and more cost effective.

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) designs and manufactures unmanned vehicle systems, software, and components that are OEM agnostic. ASI’s robotic kits and command and control software can be leveraged in a variety of industries including agriculture, automotive, mining, military, security, and industrial applications. ASI’s vehicle automation kits are OEM independent and have been used for many different applications. Clients have experienced enhanced safety, increased efficiency, and improved accuracy.

For over 18 years, ASI has been a leader in vehicle automation. ASI has a strong software team which makes up over half of its engineering work force. ASI’s Mobius® software allows for command and control of a fleet of vehicles in addition to ease of use, industry specific task planning, and vehicle diagnostics. ASI has extensive experience automating vehicles of all shapes and sizes with an emphasis on systems integration, obstacle detection and avoidance, tele-operation, and fully autonomous controls. For more information about ASI visit www.asirobots.com.

ASI Gives Back to Schools, and Others, in Guatemala

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CEO and founder of Autonomous Solutions, Mel Torrie, has an ambitious goal to give back one billion dollars through various charitable activities striving to help others reach their fullest potential.

ASI Gives Back, the volunteer group responsible for ASI’s charitable initiatives, regularly organizes events in which its employees participate. Autonomous Solutions, Inc. is the corporate sponsor for the Wayne Julien Torrie Foundation, a nonprofit organization that manages fundraising activities in alignment with the ASI Gives Back group.

Recently, ASI Gives Back dreamed bigger and organized an event that gave volunteers the opportunity to make an impact for underprivileged children in Guatemala by providing things like LEGO robotics kits, tablets, musical instruments, efficient gardening systems and more.

A lot of work and contributions went into making these efforts possible. ASI Gives Back, along with the foundation, organized several events for employees and the community to donate to the cause. These fundraising events were highlighted by the first Robot Days 5K Fun Run, hosted at ASI’s 100-acre facility in northern Utah. Runners young and old were able to race a robot on ASI’s vehicle tracks, enjoy a pancake breakfast, play with LEGO robots, win prizes and more.

With preparations completed and funds raised, the ASI team traveled to Guatemala. It was made up of volunteer ASI employees and their families. They had an amazing experience and loved helping the people of Guatemala.

The goal was to help local elementary schools raise their educational capabilities through several projects focused on music, gardening, and technology. ASI Gives Back teamed up with theTango Foundation which provides medical services in impoverished areas and is familiar with some of the challenges these schools face. ASI Gives Back also worked with Pueblo a Pueblo, a local non-profit in Guatemala to help plan and organize these efforts.

One project involved building an efficient gardening system to increase the yield of their crops. Well before heading to Guatemala, the group designed and tested several innovative ways to grow crops. They found that a certain vertical growing structure performed the best and made the most sense. These growing systems will provide more food, leading to fewer malnourished children.

Another project done jointly with World Possible, another non-profit, provided access to educational websites for five schools in areas where the internet is not accessible. ASI supplied 50 tablets and five servers and installed a system called RACHEL, “a portable plug-and-play server which stores educational websites and makes that content available over any local (offline) wireless connection.” Then the tablets can be used by students in the classroom, as if they were on the internet, to enhance their education and open new opportunities.

The last focus was music. ASI brought keyboards and drum kits for the schools to teach music to their students. In addition, volunteers held music sessions to share the instruments and their rhythmic talents with the children.

Other projects included teaching entrepreneurial and QuickBooks trainings and providing resources for those interested in starting small businesses in the area, such as bee keeping. The group also helped tile the floor of one of the libraries and supplied bee keeping equipment and materials to build bee hives. They also teamed up with Days for Girls and gave more than 80 women and girls the tools they needed to improve their quality of life.

ASI volunteers made some great friends and lasting memories from this experience. One of the Guatemalan school teachers has a Youtube channel. Interested viewers can subscribe to his channel to see the impact these volunteers had on his school and students. ASI Gives Back would like to thank all of the individuals, companies and organizations that helped make this possible.

Follow ASI on Facebook to learn more about future ASI Gives Back activities.