Mining robot enters coal mine
We’re always on the lookout for safety and technology news and thinking about what the future of safety management and compliance will look like. So we noticed the recent news about the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and its work in the areas of mining and field robotics. It definitely puts the phrase “mobile inspections” into a whole new light!
Because mining can be one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, the question of whether robots might one day replace miners occasionally pops up in the media. Interest in the topic grew after student researchers from Carnegie Mellon University demonstrated Groundhog, a golf-cart sized robot that explored an abandoned mine almost 10 years ago. It was interesting news, as Groundhog represented a window into a future with significantly safer mining industries.
Last week, Mining Weekly published an update on the CSIR’s progress in field robotics – a relatively new area involving robots that have limited learning ability and may one day handle automated safety inspections in dangerous, unstructured environments, such as mines. The CSIR’s work in mining is not meant to replace workers with machines; it’s intended to decrease the death toll in a dangerous industry and increase the safety of miners, specifically in South Africa, where the fatality rate for miners is far greater than the international industry average. At the moment, robotics can be an expensive technology to invest in, but we’re excited about where this technology will go.
We see companies in mining and other industries taking advantage of inspection software and safety automation in various ways, including programs that tie physical technology such as RFID tags to the power of software and cloud computing. When you throw robots into the mix, the future begins to look very safe!
Check out this video from Mining Weekly.
What do you think? Will safety management in mining see large scale adoption of robotics?
Tags: CSIR, field robotics, mine safety, mining, mining safety, Mining Weekly, RFID, robotics, Safety Management, safety of miners
