Challenges for Applications of Robotics in Mining Engineering

R.K.Sinha
NIRM, Bangalore, India

Rakesh Kumar Pathak

ICFAI University, Ranchi

Abstract
Globally the operation of mining industry is threatened by shocks to the demand and supply cycle
resulting in decline of sales and profits and often huge demands which the mine may not be able to fulfill.
Rigorous safety and environmental regulations put an added constrains to mining productivity. Depletion
of easily accessible and high grade deposits add to further strain on productivity. Under these
circumstances it is now a need of the hour to introduce full-fledged robotics in mining industry that can
eliminate low efficiency human efforts in unsafe and demanding environmental conditions. The nooks
and corners of the complex deposits in metaliferrous deposits which either remain inaccessible to human
efforts and present machinery are either lost forever without mining or are diluted during extraction.
Application of robotics can be helpful in mining such deposits. Robotics can find application in mining
industry in opencast mines as well as underground mines of coal and metaliferrous deposits. This paper
thus seeks to highlight some common challenges faced by the mining industry with respect to robotic
control.
Introduction
The first mention of robots appear in the year 1920 in a science fiction play in Czech language by Karel
Capek. The play was Rosumovi Univerzln Roboti or simply called Rossums Universal Robots
(Roberts Adam, 2006). The play conceptualised a factory that made artificial people, called roboti
(robots) by using synthetic organic matter. The creatures so produced were closer to the modern idea of
cyborgs, androids or clones which could be mistaken for humans as they could think themselves. They
seemed happy to work for the humans but later turned rebellions. The play was first staged in 1921 and
introduced the word robot to the world of science fiction (Asimov I, 1979). Today robotics has become a
branch of engineering which is studied by mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and computer
engineers who deal with the aspects of design, construction, operation, and application of robots. The
branch of robotics deals mainly with automated machines that resemble humans in appearance as well as
cognition. The robots are supposed to work like humans in dangerous environments. Although todays
robots have advanced to greater heights yet considerable effort is required to refine them.
Requirements of Mining Robots

High degree of mobility

Extensive sensing capability
Significant artificial intelligence
Robust and rugged components
Capability of lifting and moving heavy objects
High reliability in a wide range of environments
Simple maintenance requirements
Ability to perform in limited space

Applicability and Challenges to Robotics in Opencast Mining

The main activities in opencast mining include the drilling, blasting, loading of the blasted ore,
transportation of the ore or waste to crusher or the dump yard. In case the mine has its one mineral
processing facility, the activity will also include mineral conveying, secondary crushing, grinding and
beneficiation. There is possibility of using robotics in all these activities.

With the advent of self-driving cars, the transportation of ore in large dump trucks is a reality as of today
(www.popsci.com). Since 2013 M/s Rio Tinto is using a fleet of Komatsu make Autonomous Hauling
System (AHS) for one of their mines. E ach autonomous dump truck is equipped with vehicle controllers, a
high precision GPS system, an obstacle detection system and a wireless network system. These features allow
the dump truck to safely operate though a complex load, haul and dump cycle and to integrate with the dozers,
loaders and shovels that are also part of the autonomous system. The 320 ton capacity self driving dump trucks
are 50 feet high, 27 feet wide and 51 feet long are programmed to drive by themselves. Trial of these robo
dump trucks were conducted in Western Australia since December 2008. The real production using 15 of
the dump trucks work in Australia's iron-rich Pilbara region is controlled from a Rio Tinto headquarters in
Perth, Australia930 miles away from the mine. The obvious benefits using the AHS system include the
reduced number of drivers working in hostile and remote condition, Increased safety on mine sites,
reduced operating costs with extended tyre life, Increased productivity and efficiency

Figure 1: A view of Autonomous Hauling System (AHS) in use at Pilbara region in Australia
Automated drilling system is the next kind of trials that are being tried by Rio Tinto. The future R&D
efforts are needed in explosive loading and blasting techniques, operator less shovels and auxiliary
equipment.
Applicability and Challenges to Robotics in Underground Mining
The challenges to robotics for underground is complex in nature as compared to the opencast mining. The
underground mining environment near the continuous mining equipment is very harsh with high
concentration of airborne dust particles. This results in in ability of the operators to see well enough to
control the equipment accurately resulting in low productivity as the operator has to frequently stop the
machine to see the result of his action. Robotic sensors if fitted on the machine can assist the operator to
accurately and smoothly sequence the machine from one operation to the next. Recently National

Robotics Engineering Consortium, Pittsburgh has been working on Autonomous Underground Mining
Project. In the coming years they expect to mature two beta products into commercial products.
In addition to productivity equipment it is sometimes desirable to reopen abandoned mines. Closed and
abandoned mines are by large inaccessible to humans because of low oxygen levels and toxic slush. In
2003, the Groundhog robot (Sebastin et.al 2004) was sent into an abandoned coal mine having laser range
sensors, a night vision camera, gas detectors and a gyroscope. The robot was designed to move through a
mine to map an underground mine and collect information potentially helpful to reopen the mine. This
throws open various challenges to explore and map abandoned mines. Some of which are listed below:

Need to develop systems that can autonomously map entire mines, not just fractions thereof
Exploring possibility of building borehole-deployable robotic systems to explore abandoned
mines.
The robotic system should have ability to negotiate water and heavy mud. One option could be
developing submersible mine mapping system. Another possibility would be an amphibious
vehicle for exploring partially flooded mines.
At present, there are only low-bandwidth technologies for communicating directly through solid
matter (mine pillars). Establishing a network of wireless repeater stations would be a viable
extension to mine mapping robots, which could critically enhance the operational capabilities of
future mine-exploring robots.

References:
Roberts, Adam (2006). The History of Science Fiction. New York, NY: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN. p. 168. ISBN
9780333970225
Asimov, Isaac (1979). "The Vocabulary of Science Fiction.". Asimov's Science Fiction.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-09/mining-company-uses-robotic-trucks
Sebastian Thrun, Scott Thayer, William Whittaker, Christopher Baker,Wolfram Burgard, David Ferguson, Dirk
Hahnel, Michael Montemerlo, Aaron Morris, Zachary Omohundro, Charlie Reverte, Warren Whittaker. (2004).
Autonomous exploration and mapping of abandoned mines. Robotics & Automation Magazine, IEEE, 11(4), 79-91.
http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/~axs/miner.html