business
The future
Van Niekerk also touched on areas that are being investigated for future use.“ We’ re investigating a way to mark out blast points by inputting your survey data into your drone, which can then mark the ground for accuracy when drilling holes, because if holes can be drilled in exact spots, it improves the predictability and the performance of the explosives.
“ Then there is high-speed filming, which is also an extremely valuable tool when it comes to blast optimisation. We use it to measure rock response to energy and calculate the optimised timing for the electronic detonators— with millisecond accuracy— to move that rock optimally and give the best fragmentation. The problem is that on a mine it’ s not always possible to stand at the correct spot to film it, and this is another area where a drone could add a tremendous amount of value by allowing us to film every time.”
The accuracy, cost, and safety implications of using drone technology are massive. And as the technology continues to improve, and more technologies become available, the application of drones in the geological and mining industries will keep expanding. n
Robyn Grimsley
A drone using thermal imaging technology on display at Drone Con 2017.
Sources
PwC. 2016. Clarity from above: PwC global report on the commercial applications of drone technology.
Airobotics
The use of drones in opencast mining has a lot of potential. These are some of the possible applications that can be integrated into a mining operation.
16 _ QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER 2017