CAS & FATIGUE
LoopX believes its LiDAR based SLAM technology could be a game changer in enabling mixed autonomous and manned fleets
Yu also said the nature of any CAS L9 demand in the market is becoming quite specific:“ In underground mining today, actually the primary CAS L9 demand is to focus on vehicle to person ie V2P, as from a safety incident point of view it is the more pressing challenge to overcome. Plus, even within this the focus is on the main heavy equipment fleet – not light vehicles and ancillary machines.” And this approach Yu says is the main one included in the CAS scope of work( SOW) for many the top tier miners. After that the next priority is heavy vehicles to light vehicles and then light vehicle to person. Again, all related to the fundamental safety priorities.
The LoopX CAS it says is the industry’ s first safety solution for underground and surface mining that fuses Vision AI based on a thermal imaging and RGB camera, along with LiDAR and RF – in one platform. It provides 360 ° detection, proactive warnings, and automatic intervention. The thermal imaging aspect it argues is unique in the market as most others using cameras do not have this capability. Yu:“ A traditional camera is not reliable in many underground conditions like where there is a lot of glare from an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian cap lamp. Plus they have issues with dust. But thermal imaging alone is not enough as it doesn’ t give context – that is why we have used a dual-spectrum camera that has both thermal imaging and RGB combined.”
What about the vehicle integration for the slow down and stop? LoopX has tested its system in South Africa using an ISO21815 interface module from Quantum Machine Intelligence, an L9 CAS vehicle interface system( VIS) provider. This is linked to
70 the vehicle computer that can you know enabling you to change the pressure of the hydraulic brake system and slow or stop the machine. However, the LoopX CAS can also integrate with other ISO 21815-compliant VIS options such as the Nerospec neroHUB.
Yu confirmed that it is working on CAS and other solutions with top tier miners including Vale, BHP, Agnico Eagle, and Eldorado Gold; and that its close work with contractor Cementation continues – having moved from a single mine, single LHD trial to its CAS being used on multiple machines at four separate mining projects. It also working with Cementation on other tech such as BoomGuard – an AI-powered safety system designed for boom machines like jumbo drills, bolters, and shotcrete sprayers; plus another system designed for raise borers. LoopX is also working with EPCM major Hatch, which is not only a strategic collaborator but also an investor in the company. Overall, across the industry, LoopX has deployed its technologies – CAS and others- on 50 machines at eight separate mine sites in the USA, Canada and South Africa. Yu added that in many of these cases, it went in with CAS but then the customer realised interest in other areas – plus he believes its willingness to customise for separate projects is a big upside.
He added that a lot of miners and contractors are also working with LoopX on its other solutions such as its Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping( SLAM) innovation – a robotics technology that combines LiDAR with inertial sensors, GPS, satellite imaging to deliver precise vehicle positioning and real-time 3D mapping and geolocation tracking for both underground and surface. A LoopX-equipped vehicle drives through the mine and generates a high-resolution, geo-referenced unified 3D map which becomes the reference for the entire fleet, enabling precise localisation for all vehicles. As vehicles continue operating, they detect changes in the environment and automatically feed updates back into the system.
Finally, it is also working on solutions for autonomous loaders and trucks underground so that they no longer have to work in an isolated autonomous zone – these will combine perception data from its CAS with its LiDAR mapping and geolocation technology into one system – with a launch expected in 2026. Yu says it would allow an autonomous truck for example to load a manned truck, and for autonomous loaders or trucks to operate as part of mixed fleets, including the ability to move from underground to surface and vice versa.
Today’ s autonomy systems are closed off gated areas. Plus they are focused either on underground or surface – whereas a lot of mines today have haulage from underground to surface or are transitioning from surface to underground operations. This more flexible LoopX technology it says will help remove these barriers – barriers which are based on a lack of intelligence on today’ s autonomous machines. While this is something others are also doing, LoopX argues that its system is distinct in not requiring any additional infrastructure in the mine – it works purely from the mapping intelligence from its SLAM system- delivering true“ autonomy on the edge.”
It has already been tested at NORCAT in Sudbury and Yu says there has been huge interest both from mining companies but also equipment OEMs and it has carried out demos with many of them. One option is that they could licence the LoopX technology to be used at particular projects on their machines or even to use it on their machines factory fitted. LoopX from its side has used a lot of universal interfaces in its system to allow for a range of future types of collaborations either with the mining customer or with OEMs.
Becker PDS4.0- enhanced safety through integrated proximity detection
In modern mining operations, proximity detection systems have become a central component of safety strategies aimed at reducing collision risks between people and machines. With increasing automation, machine size, and traffic density- particularly underground- operators face a growing need for systems that not only warn early but also react intelligently to dynamic environments. Becker Mining Systems’ PDS4.0 represents a technological response
International Mining | JANUARY 2026