Semi-Autonomous Flying of UAVs for inspection activities.
Semi-Autonomous Flying of UAVs for inspection activities.
Robotizing the Charger
ABB and Boliden have conducted the first tests with their Robotic Remote Charger, to aid with explosives charging at the face.
Assisting Driving for teleremote operation.
Driver assist technology bridging the gap between teleremote operation and autonomous operation
Robotics in Mining
Objectives
The aim of WP5 will be to demonstrate state-of-the-art Robotic technology in mining. More specifically, the aim will be to combine the technological deployments in mining infrastructure from WP3 and WP4 and integrate them into Robotic demonstrations and innovative actions of Robotic applicationsin minesin order to enable an efficient and human safe mining environment. The application scenarios that will be targeted will be the ones of: a) Robotizing the Scaling Machine, b) Robotizing the Charging Machine, c) the semi-autonomous operation for inspection of UAVs, and d) Assisted Driving for diesel free machines. Towards these objectives the concept of Augmented Reality in Robotics will be adapted for the mine operation. The WP will contain a specific planning and preparation stage, as well as an extended
evaluation and demonstration stage, including the corresponding exploitation actions. For the planned activities of WP5, the demonstration mines are the ones at Boliden and LKAB. WP5 will integrate and evolve current robotic technologies, in the prescribed fields, from TRL levels of 4-5, to the final goal of reaching a demonstrating level of 7-8 TRL
Tasks
1. Application Scenarios and Benchmark Specifications definition.
2. Augmented Reality for Robotics.
3. Robotizing the Scaling Machine.
4. Robotizing the Charging Machine.
5. Semi-Autonomous Flying of UAVs for inspection activities.
6. Assisting Driving for diesel free machines.
7. Field Trials Evaluation and Exploitation.
Our integrated process control system connects the workforce, activities and equipment in real time.
Mining conditions/environment can be hard and dangerous. By using drones one can access dangerous places without put humans in danger. For example inspections after blasting, rockfalls and with shaft inspections.
By using autonomous drones, one can increase the productivity by shorting inspection time (a drone don’t need fresh air, don’t need additional infrastructure can be equipped with multiple sensors as gas sensors, termo camera
We will solve these problems by using drones with specialized algorithms which allows autonomous navigation in unknown underground environment.
Mining environment is hard for equipment. The drones has to handle darkness, dust and high moisture independent from connectivity. Do all processing and data storing onboard.
We are really glad and proud to take part of doing mining environment safer, more efficient and an even more attractive workplace.
This demonstrator below presents an
Augmented Reality framework for Robotics.
It shows the application of the generic augmented reality overlay
utilized together with autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle. The demonstration features the AR system utilized on an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone), performing the mission of autonomous tunnel navigation in the underground mine environment.
George Nikolakopoulos
Professor, LTU
Dariusz Kominiak
Senior Research engineer, LTU
Robotizing the Charger
ABB and Boliden have conducted the first tests with their Robotic Remote Charger, to aid with explosives charging at the face.
Driver assist
Extraction of the ore is a very complex process that requires an advanced engineering approach in order to make it safe and economically viable with minimal harm to the environment. Therefore there are dozens of different mining methods that are being chosen based on given set of conditions on the particular ore body. Some of the methods are more adopted to the autonomous operations than others. So it is crucial to have a scalable automation system that can be used in different applications.
For instance, the loader’s production cycle in many mass mining applications can be done in semi-autonomous mode – when loader executes the hauling according to pre-recorded route, while a number of supplementary operations are done by operator from the control room in tele-remote mode. Using a Driver Assist function prevents the risk of damaging the loader by smashing it into the wall while operating it tele-remotely and enabling a higher speed of operation. The function represents another step towards higher efficiency and better usability of automation in underground mining.
Vladimir Sysoev
Global Automation Lead, Epiroc
It is very exciting to see the transformation towards better performance and safer operations in underground mining that happens today. The entire industry will benefit from using remote operations and autonomous machines. It feels great to be a part of this transformation and to see it from inside.