MINING DRONES
Emesent recently demonstrated what it says is a world first in one of OZ Minerals ’ underground mines , in South Australia , where a combined Hovermap-Spot system was stationed underground and operated from surface through the mine ’ s standard communications network
it comes to this process , but he did admit the
company was in advanced talks with some leading mining software companies that could see its mapping data integrated directly into their platforms .
“ We are also working with certain companies to use robotic process automation to make it a one-button process to scan , go directly into the end-user software , and create a mesh that can be used ,” he said .
“ We remain focused on using our technology and R & D to provide the best solution to customers in order for them to be as productive as possible and , of course , work in a more efficient and safe manner .”
Redefining automation
Competing in the same aerial and ground-based autonomy space is Emesent .
The Australia-based company ’ s Hovermap™ solution has already been behind several leaps in the mine automation space and , according to CTO and Co-Founder , Dr Farid Kendoul , it will be behind many more .
A smart mobile scanning unit which mounts to drones to provide autonomous mapping in challenging and inaccessible areas , Hovermap is equally capable above ground or underground , indoors or outdoors .
Leveraging LiDAR sensors , Hovermap has proven its capabilities in mapping stopes , draw points , ore passes and old mine workings – autonomously , in GPS-denied environments and beyond line of sight – underground . Above ground , it has displayed its mapping prowess on mine infrastructure , stockpiles and open-pit contour applications .
Earlier this year , Emesent unveiled Hovermap ST , the latest version of its Hovermap autonomy and mapping payload , at the SME MineXchange Conference & Expo . This featured a new automated ground control feature that , Emesent says , addresses the typical drawbacks associated with simultaneous localisation and mapping ( SLAM ) based mapping .
While SLAM-based systems have proven their value for rapid mapping of complex environments , achieving survey-grade accuracy and repeatability has been a challenge in some environments . Surveyors were , therefore , faced with a compromise between fast data capture and data accuracy , depending on the job requirements , according to Emesent .
“ This is no longer the case with Hovermap ST and the automated ground control feature , as the feature enhances the SLAM solution to remove ‘ SLAM drift ’ and produce survey-grade , georeferenced point clouds ,” it said .
This improved accuracy will , no doubt , come in use in a whole host of new applications Emesent and the Hovermap platform are taking on in the mining space .
Influenced by its work on the DARPA Subterranean Challenge – conceived with the objective of developing a fleet of autonomous systems capable of exploring , navigating , mapping and searching complex subterranean environments like the ones found in underground mines – the company is developing several “ unique technologies ” that are relevant to the underground mining sector , according to Dr Kendoul .
“ We have worked with a number of mining companies to further develop and productise these technologies ,” he said .
Just one of these is the augmentation of Hovermap autonomy on unmanned ground vehicles ( UGVs ) – one of the most famous UGVs today being Boston Dynamics ’ Spot .
The company recently demonstrated what it says is a world first in one of OZ Minerals ’
underground mines , in South Australia , where a combined Hovermap-Spot system was stationed underground and operated from surface through the mine ’ s standard communications network .
Dr Kendoul expanded on this : “ For this trial , we have demonstrated two modes of operation using two new capabilities we are developing at Emesent .
“ The first mode of operation is what we call ‘ tap-to-walk ’ where , in this mode , the system underground is live streaming a 3D point cloud of the underground environment to the operator on the surface using the standard mine network .” In this mode , the operator places smart waypoints on the live map and the robot uses its on-board perception and autonomy to navigate to those waypoints while avoiding obstacles and adapting to changes .
“ The system is executing these high-level commands autonomously while still mapping the underground environments in great detail , in addition to collecting 360 ° videos and gas readings of that same environment ,” he said . The second mode of operation is termed
‘ autonomous routine mission execution ’.
“ In this mode of operation , the operator just clicks one button and the system autonomously executes a mission that is stored in its memory or sent from the surface ,” Dr Kendoul said . “ For this , the system uses a base or navigation map and localises in real time with respect to that map . It then executes its mission by navigation to a predefined route ( or set of waypoints ) while still adapting to changes in the environments and re-planning its path continuously to make sure it achieves its mission safely and efficiently .”
As in the first mode , the system is continuously mapping the environment in 3D and collecting other data such as the 360 ° video and gas readings .
Both modes of operation above were demonstrated by someone sitting in a control room on the surface in the OZ Minerals trial , but also by one of Emesent ’ s partners in South Africa who was able to connect to the system and operate the robot underground in Australia from South Africa , according to Dr Kendoul .
“ This is only possible because of the advanced autonomy the Hovermap system is providing to the Spot robot ,” he said .
While such a technology combination could be used in a variety of applications , the current use case targeted by this solution is the post-blast monitoring of underground mining environments , seeking to significantly improve the associated safety , mine productivity and production downtime compromises that come with using traditional post-blast monitoring processes .
Another ‘ world first ’ Emesent is working on recently saw the company conduct underground
36 International Mining | OCTOBER 2022