WORLD PROSPECTS
Bis & IAI join forces to Auto-mate mining
Australia ’ s Bis and Israel Aerospace Industries
( IAI ) have announced a “ world-first ” 50:50 joint venture to deliver what they describe as the next generation of mine site automation to the global resources sector . “ The Auto-mate joint venture represents a significant advancement in mining automation ,” Bis CEO , Brad Rogers said . “ The flexible and scalable solution is the ultimate partner in mining automation , delivering superior technology , to a wider range of miners , at a lower cost .”
Bis is renowned for delivering innovative haulage & equipment solutions to mining customers for over 100 years . IAI is a large , advanced engineering company with a 20,000 strong workforce , 5,000 of whom are engineers with world-class expertise in robotics and automation . IAI have been designing and deploying robotic and autonomous vehicle and asset solutions for air , sea and land , often in remote and harsh environments , for over four decades , and have automated over 35 different asset classes .
Offering fully-scalable and adaptable levels of automation , Auto-mate ’ s technology is tailored to each mine site ’ s requirements . With an open architecture model , the system connects any asset to the operation ’ s fleet management system , regardless of brand , age or type of asset or desired level of automation . “ Auto-mate is a game-changer because of its exceptional utility ,” Rogers said . “ It is a gateway to automation for small and big miners . It is uniquely flexible so that a customer can choose how far down the pathway to automation they want to go . It is asset agnostic . It can be deployed at any mine , on any asset and to any degree of automation the customer chooses … automation will be accessible by a larger section of the mining industry because the Auto-mate technology platform , created by IAI , allows miners to automate any asset , and retain long term optionality on fleet decisions .”
The move comes just over three months after Wenco and Oxbotica announced their development of an “ Open Autonomy solution for mining ” but Todd Peate , Non-Executive Director at Auto-mate , says he sees this more as collective industry progress . “ We have watched with some real interest in the work Wenco are doing in the market . We don ’ t look at this as a threat or a first or second place thing , we look at this as stimulating competition and democratising autonomation for the market . It ’ s a good thing as far as we are concerned .” He adds : “ Those with an interoperable mindset are quite aligned on what they are seeking to achieve . With that part of the market , we are quite aligned and will look to work collaborative for improved customer outcomes . Our model is simply not predicated on bundling automation services with equipment sales or maintenance , we do not see this as a sustainable position to take and want to lead this industry to open autonomy .”
Peate added that a differentiator for Auto-mate is the depth of capability and experience that the JV partners bring . “ This isn ’ t just about bringing superior interoperable and flexible automation technology to the mining sector – it ’ s about the technology being backed by the unparalleled combination of global expertise in robotics and automation combined with industry experience in the resources sector .” He says a key strength comes from the algorithms in the system developed by IAI over more than 15 years of ground autonomous operations . One example is the ability for the autonomous vehicle to operate safely manned and unmanned .
Auto-mate uses unique building blocks that combine smart navigation solutions using GPS , IMU ( Inertial Measurement Unit ) and SLAM ( Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping ) for precise vehicle positioning , with real time accurate perception configuration , based on LiDARs ( Light Detection and Ranging ), radars and cameras . Sophisticated artificial intelligence capabilities control the mining equipment to optimise the mission according to the real time environmental conditions and operational changes . The perception module and artificial intelligence computing run on the mining equipment and include obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities , object qualifications and real-time smart path planner .
Peate summarised the upside for Bis & for the wider industry : “ There is definitely a need by Bis customers looking at autonomy and wanting to distance from the large OEM autonomy systems . Moreover , there is an additional need to provide an autonomous solution to the Bis solutions such as Rexx , which will be customer-driven . The existing and future Bis technology program will be automation ready . But this isn ’ t just about Bis assets . Part of the Auto-mate vision is to make autonomy accessible to all miners by configuring the right tailored solution according to their needs and requirements . We want to make sure the customer has a full suite of choices on an automated fleet .”
IAI subsidiary ELTA ’ CEO , Yoav Tourgeman , said the interoperable scalable system was the perfect union of cutting-edge technology and practical application . “ Auto-mate delivers a flexible approach to automation , delivering usability for multiple levels of automation across all haulage assets and ancillary equipment , with one central command centre .”
The point about automating ancillary equipment is also highlighted by Peate as important : “ It will only be with full autonomy that you can transform mining and challenge design and operational paradigms where people and equipment need to work together to maximise resource extraction . In a value liberation and safety improvement lens , the first tranche of that is haul trucks , that ’ s what customers have done and the market has responded .”
Rogers said the Auto-mate JV was another significant step in Bis ’ commitment to customer-led innovation : “ This is just the latest in a series of innovations to emerge from the Bis development pipeline , following the development of the groundbreaking mine haulage vehicle , Rexx , and cuttingedge underground grader , Razor .”
Peate also told IM that the underlying technology has been tested and proven outside of mining by IAI for many years . “ You will , and can see the automated dozers , haulers and light vehicles . These are real , existing and available solutions today .” This includes many dozers used in mining , but the JV represents a real focussed entry into mining . He added that Auto-mate is working right now on some mining trials in Australia with more information to be shared in due course . www . auto-mate . me ; www . iai . co . il ; www . bisindustries . com
4 International Mining | OCTOBER 2020