African Mining October 2019 | Page 46

 MINING IN FOCUS Resolute Mining’s Syama gold mine in Mali will be the first completely autonomous mining operation in Africa. terminals. Rio Tinto's automated operations in Australia are reportedly intended to preview a more efficient future for all its mining operations and reduce the need for human miners. Meanwhile in Africa, joint venture partners Barrick Gold and AngloGold Ashanti have automated the Kibali operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the extent that remote operators function underground from safe air- conditioned cubicles, while managing the loaders on the open stopes of the underground operation that descends close to 800m below surface into a massive orebody. At Australian company Resolute Mining’s Syama gold mine the company partnered with internationally renowned Original 44  African Mining  October 2019 Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Sandvik to automate their underground mine in Mali. More 3D viewing Moreover, there is an increased use of 3D viewing which creates a life-like impression of whatever is being viewed with depth perception. 3D viewing allows the human brain to understand and relate complex interrelated issues. More recently, a number of mining companies have been exploring the use of virtual reality tools and analysing overlaid information through augmented reality without having to trawl through siloed databases, both of which are an evolution of 3D viewing. www. africanmining.co.za