According to the new research, the mining industry gets a world-first technology for the miners’ safety and better health, enhanced ecological benefits and usage of energy, and production efficiencies.
Rio Tinto commissioned a report from BAEconomics to look into the costs and advantages of autonomous technology. This report has finalized that money invested in mining innovation and technology will maintain continuous competitiveness and offer extensive economic advantages that highlight a strong mining industry.
The title of the report is “Autonomous and remote operation technologies in the mining industry: benefits and costs”. The report analyzes development of the new autonomous technology. Though the challenges and costs of automation in the mining are significant, the potential benefits are very high.
The report has concluded that the employees will be remotely communicating with automated systems and other control machineries. This eliminates the worker’s exposure to harmful mining environments, decreases the risk in case of safety and health and offers an attractive workplace. These new roles will widen the opportunities for employment.
John McGagh, Rio Tinto’s head of innovation has stated that the BAEconomics report has emphasized the complex challenges that the mining industry is facing. This industry faces less tier-one deposits, maturing ore bodies, complex geographies and fewer employees. The report has explained how these challenges are faced by these new autonomous technologies.
He added that the new technologies that are being analyzed strengthen the main position of Rio Tinto in the mining field. The company is introducing blast-hole drilling rigs, automated trucks, sorting trains and machines for the iron ore. All these equipment can be controlled by Perth-based Operations Centre.
The Future program has been evaluating Rio Tinto’s mine for the last four years and has an objective of identifying enhanced ways to mine and dig minerals, by increasing safety and reducing ecological impacts.
Source: http://www.riotinto.com/