11-01-2010, 06:54 PM
The mining industry is suitable for the application of robotics and automation technology since the work is both arduous and dangerous.Though the industry makes wide use of mechanisation, the automation has been slow. complexity of the task, and the limitations of existing automation technology are the main reasons.
Automation in mining is advantageous because it offers :
¢ higher productivity;
¢ increased safety, by reducing h u m a n exposure to hazards;
¢ reduced operating stress on equipment.
Most of the productivity increase in mining this century has been due to
mechanisation. The trend in the past
thirty years has been towards larger and more powerful machines but practical
limits have now been reached.Mines have moved large electric and diesel powered machines. Underground machines are further constrained
by the dimensions of the tunnels in which they operate. sensing, control and computing technologies have tremendously advanced in last decade
and the reduction in cost.
The reesearch teams at CSIRO are trialling and developing a range of giant robotic mining devices, that will either operate themselves under human supervision or else be driven by a miner, in both cases from a safe, remote location. Hazardous jobs like laying explosives, going underground after blasting to stabilize a mine roof or mining in areas where it is impossible for humans to work are done by robots.
Some present robots in operation include:
-robot device for drilling and bolting mine roofs to stabilize them after blasting
-a 3500 tonne coal dragline featuring automated loading and unloading
-robotic drilling and blasting device for inducing controlled caving.
-pilotless burrowing machine for mining in flooded gravels and sands
The Technology :
RecoverBot
A one hundred and fifty pound tethered rectangular unit, has two maneuverable arms with grippers and four wheels that support an open box frame with power units, controllers and video cameras separately built with their own individual metal armor. the telerobotic eyes captires the image for the surface controller .
Groundhog
The four-wheeled, ATV-sized robot used laser rangefinders to create an accurate map of about 100 feet of the mine, which had been filled with water since the 1920s.
the robot needs perception technology to build maps from sensor data, must be able to operate autonomously to make decisions about where to go, how to get there, how to return etc. computer interfaces enabling people to view the results of its explorations must be present.
http://robotnews.wordpress2006/03/25/robots-in-mining/
Automation in mining is advantageous because it offers :
¢ higher productivity;
¢ increased safety, by reducing h u m a n exposure to hazards;
¢ reduced operating stress on equipment.
Most of the productivity increase in mining this century has been due to
mechanisation. The trend in the past
thirty years has been towards larger and more powerful machines but practical
limits have now been reached.Mines have moved large electric and diesel powered machines. Underground machines are further constrained
by the dimensions of the tunnels in which they operate. sensing, control and computing technologies have tremendously advanced in last decade
and the reduction in cost.
The reesearch teams at CSIRO are trialling and developing a range of giant robotic mining devices, that will either operate themselves under human supervision or else be driven by a miner, in both cases from a safe, remote location. Hazardous jobs like laying explosives, going underground after blasting to stabilize a mine roof or mining in areas where it is impossible for humans to work are done by robots.
Some present robots in operation include:
-robot device for drilling and bolting mine roofs to stabilize them after blasting
-a 3500 tonne coal dragline featuring automated loading and unloading
-robotic drilling and blasting device for inducing controlled caving.
-pilotless burrowing machine for mining in flooded gravels and sands
The Technology :
RecoverBot
A one hundred and fifty pound tethered rectangular unit, has two maneuverable arms with grippers and four wheels that support an open box frame with power units, controllers and video cameras separately built with their own individual metal armor. the telerobotic eyes captires the image for the surface controller .
Groundhog
The four-wheeled, ATV-sized robot used laser rangefinders to create an accurate map of about 100 feet of the mine, which had been filled with water since the 1920s.
the robot needs perception technology to build maps from sensor data, must be able to operate autonomously to make decisions about where to go, how to get there, how to return etc. computer interfaces enabling people to view the results of its explorations must be present.
http://robotnews.wordpress2006/03/25/robots-in-mining/
