Mines Are Dangerous for Humans, That’s Why Robots Will Take Over
By
Vamien McKalin
-
December 27, 2017
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One of the most difficult and high paying jobs throughout the years is mining. It’s dirty, dangerous, and stressing all at the same time. We’ve never heard of anyone who says, “you know what, I’m a miner and I love my job, so what are you gonna do about it?”
If we look at the state of the mining industry right now, it’s been proven that several miners die every year from all manner of accidents. The latest report we came across showed that back in 2010, 23 miners lost their lives, a clear sign the industry needs to change.
Robots are ready to take these jobs
Automation is slowly creeping into the world of mining, and that’s not a bad thing. From self-driving ore trucks to robotic drills, technology is bringing some needed safety to this type of job.
Not only do these machines bring an extra layer of security, but they also tend to boost efficiency, which means, it should take less time to mine precious minerals when compared to human hands only.
As time goes by, we’ll likely see mines that are almost 100 percent autonomous.
Professor of computer science at Freiberg University of Mining and Technology in Germany, Dr. Bernhard Jung, says the mines of the future could exist in space and in our oceans, and we’ll have automation to thank.
“Making use of robots may be our only chance to ever extract minerals in such areas,” according to Jung in a statement to NBC.
Mining robots controlled from a remote distance
At the moment, it’s possible to control drones from anywhere in the world. Aquabotix has an underwater robot that can be controlled from anywhere in the world, so the idea of supervising robots working at a mine from anywhere on the planet is 100 percent feasible.
“You can operate these robots remotely from halfway across the world,” says Dr. Herman Herman, director of the National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. For example, he said, “that will allow people in the Midwest to work and operate mining equipment in Australia.”
Interestingly enough, the mining industry has a small fleet of self-driving ore-carrying vehicles. We understand that these massive trucks use the same technology found in self-driving cars, and because of this, they can work right around the clock.
These trucks are more prevalent in Australia, and a company known as Rio Tinto is at the forefront of their development. Not to mention, Rio Tinto is working on autonomous trains that can carry minerals from one location to the next.
Robots that work alongside humans
Dr. Bernhard Jung and his team have developed a robot assistant for the primary purpose of assisting workers during mining projects. The robot is called Julius, and its size is similar to that of a shopping cart.
It runs on wheels and comes with a single arm for the use of picking up and scanning rocks. As time goes by, the mining industry could be taken over by an army of robots similar to Julius, a move that could lead to more efficient mining.
https://sanvada.com/2017/12/27/mines-dangerous-humans-thats-robots-will-take/
What would the IP be worth alone? It's also worth noting that Aquabotix robots will become even smarter soon as automation and AI with its hybrid models are currently a focus for the company.
