TECHNOLOGY

Sandvik, Exyn to partner on autonomous systems

Mining equipment maker Sandvik has formed a partnership with Exyn Technologies to try and further autonomous mining solutions.

Collaboration could have major implications for mine safety

Collaboration could have major implications for mine safety

The partnership brings Exyn's autonomous aerial robot system knowledge together with Sandvik's mining equipment know-how.

The idea is to use Exyn's drones to map underground workings and match that data with Sandvik's mine automation and optimisation systems.

Sandvik rock drills & technologies president, Patrick Murphy, said the company was committed to "empowering a transformation to autonomy in underground mining".

"This partnership will open up unique benefits, build on our industry leading automation offering and drive faster decision-making in mining processes to seize new opportunities for improving production performance," he said.

"Through this partnership we are working together to provide efficient solutions for mapping and visioning underground mines, which will make a substantial difference when it comes to mine locations that are hazardous, hard to reach or conventionally time-consuming to survey and inspect."

Sandvik's OptiMine system will be fed data collected by Exyn's aerial robots to create progressive visualisation and information of the mine's environment to increase overall transparency of the mining process.

The future collaboration between Sandvik and Exyn will entail research into how to apply and generate 3D views and perceptions of underground spaces autonomously, while leveraging the full potential of Sandvik's AutoMine system.

Exyn Technologies CEO and co-founder Nader Elm said he was excited about the partnership with Sandvik because Sandvik was recognised as an innovator in the industry and have revolutionised underground mining.

"For the first time, customers will be able to map the entirety of their underground operations, even in dangerous GPS-denied environments, while making mining safer and improving productivity," he said.

"Through this partnership, we hope to empower efficient decision-making for customers and drive towards the vision of fully autonomous mining operations."

Exyn Technologies is pioneering autonomous aerial robot systems for complex, GPS-denied environments.

 

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