This document discusses recent advancements in automation and remote control technology in mining. It notes that manual mining is physically demanding and dangerous, resulting in accidents, injuries, and death. Automation removes humans from hazardous mining processes. Examples of automated systems described include remote-controlled dump trucks and loaders, long-distance laser scanning robots for mapping abandoned mines, GPS tracking of vehicles, and automated conveyor belt controls. Automation improves safety, allows access to difficult areas, increases productivity and consistency, and reduces costs and accidents compared to manual mining.

1. Submitted to:
Department of Mining Engineering
COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING,
UDAIPUR-313001
Session 2015-16
RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN
AUTOMATION AND REMOTE
CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
Submitted By:
Sushant Kumar
B. Tech., Final Year
Mining Engineering
Date: 18/05/16

2. • Requires tedious manual hard work
• Results physical and mental tiredness, loss of interest,
sometimes fatigue, serious diseases and even death.
Limitations of Manual Mining

3. Also have resulted accidents in various mines from history to present .
This is leading towards safety issues, low production rate, inefficient labor ,
inaccuracy and overall increased expenses with less benefit.

4. Daily there are number of accidents are taking place and workers
and foreman are losing their life. Some are naturally occurred but
remaining are due to artificial actions like falling of the roof after
blasting, during roof bolting etc.

5. Automation System in Mining Industry
1. Involves removal of human labor from the mining process .
2. Focus on leveraging skills through technology
3. Consists integrated view of the mining operations i.e. Remote Operations.
WHY NEEDED ?
 If mining equipment could be automated to function without a worker’s full
attention,
Industry can enhance productivity, access “unworkable“ seams .
 Can reduce human exposure to the inhospitable environment of dust, noise, gas,
water, moving equipment.
 Proximity of accidents reaches near to zero in case of HEMM operations.
 May be helpful for exploring abandoned mines with acidic mud, methane or toxic
gases.
 Can reduce accidents due to roof fall, suffocation in gassy area, subsidence etc.
 May improve collaboration and smoothness in working in between operator and
machineries in such areas.

6. Application of Automation and remote control
technology in mining
Tele-operated and automated dumpers which make our mines safe and also
reduce the cycle time and enhance the productivity.
Leica J3 Truck – Truck with automatic
control
Leica J3 Dozer autotrip - Dozer with
automatic control

7. Specification:
•Reverse guidance: the system provides the operator with
indicators that allows optimal reversing to the correct
location
•Auto steering: robotically automates steering, the
operator is in control of the brakes and throttle
•Auto spotting: the operator commands the function, and
the machine automatically reverses to the optimum
location
•Auto pilot: provides collision avoidance technology and
specialized lane tracking functionality for auton1ated road
segment operation
•Fully autonomous: removes operator to maintain
consistent performance levels

8. Tele-operated and automated dumpers by which we can access the
some inaccessible seams.
An automated LHD working in mine

9. Operator controlling LHD from remote area

11. Long Distance Laser scanning Robot System.
Laser robot
3D Remote
Location
Visualization
through Laser
Camera (
Sensors)

12. •The world's largest ''robot'', a 3500 tonne coal dragline featuring
automated loading and unloading (Sydney -5th May 2000, used in
Australian mining)
Specification: A 3500 tonne capacity, 75 m ta1L 100 m long boom,
Devour 120 tonnes of rock in a single bite.
:world's largest robot (Dragline used in o/c coal mine)

13. Tele-operated and automated load-haul-dump trucks
Automated LHD (Sandvik) - A number of sensors including high speed
scanning lasers and developing software to control the machine

14. •Tele-operated and automated haulage trucks
Automated Haulage Truck used in Canadian Mine
Specification:
CAPACITY: -70 tons capacity
OPERATING SYSTEM: -Electrically and Hydraulically both
CONTROL: -Automatic steering control

15. •Automated device for bolting the mine roofs to stabilize them after
blasting
Automatic mobile equipment for bolting in mine roof (prepared by ARO Mining
Products Limited)

16. Autonomous robotic system with cameras and sensors for
mapping and inspection of the abandoned mines
The Groundhog robot is a 1,500 pound custom-built vehicle equipped with
laser range sensing, gas sensors, and video recording equipment. Its purpose is to
explore and map abandoned mines. (In robotic institute, Pittsburgh)

17. Groundhog under remote control mode
Groundhog was equipped with laser range sensing, gas sensors, and video recording
equipment. So it is also offer visualizations of 2-D and 3-D maps of the area of the
mines which are visited by the vehicle.

18. •GPS Mapping of Underground or Surface Mine

19.  Scanning, Scheduling and Tracking of Truck
or Dumpers
Using Remote Sensors and GPS system,
All the trucks, dumpers and HEMMs
Can be traced and even scanned using
laser scanners.
It can improve the safety from possibility
of accidents during movement of
machineries, planning and evaluation of
the paths of the movement.
Therefore, Efficiency and productivity can
be increased.

20. Inter communication between Moving
Equipments, helps in tracking and
maintaining required gap for safety to avoid
collisions and accident

21. Remote control for transportation of material through
conveyor belt control programming
Material can be analyzed and transportation speed can be controlled from a remote
location and the accurate amount of tonnage, average grade, size of ore freagments, power
required, any breakdown, speed can be obtained easily.

22. A UI Screenshot to illustrate the controls available for the conveyor
belt control program

23. Advantages of Automation System In Mining
1.Improved safety
2. Easy access of the some inaccessible seams
3.It can reduce the human exposure to the inhospitable environment of
dust, noise, gas, water, and moving equipment.
4. Maintenance cost and operating cost of HEMMs are reduced
5. Due to autonomous haulage system, proximity of accidents is
reduced up to zero percent and overall production rate is increased up
to certain level.
6. It enables production consistency and it is the most important
benefit.
7. With the help of autonomous haulage system, the production
rate is also increased and maintenance and operating cost is
reduced.
8. With the help of autonomous roof and bolting machine, we can
make the roof stabilize without any fear of roof falling.

24. THANK YOU !