Technology Trends to Watch in the Mining Industry

If you do some digging online, you’ll learn that humans have been mining precious materials – such as coal, gold, and silver – for thousands of years. However, the mines that you can see today look nothing like the ones from back in the day, thanks to all the advancements and innovations in technology.

With every innovation that is introduced to the mining industry, the process of digging out precious materials becomes more efficient, it costs less money, and more importantly, it’s safer. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the list of tech innovations that you might want to know about:

1. VR Tech Is Being Used For Training And Simulation

People who are planning on working in the mining industry need to go through years of training, that’ll teach them things revolving around safety protocols, different procedures, as well as workers’ compensation. Although they might not expect it, they might be handed an explosive during the first few days of their new job.

The question here is – are they prepared for using it? Well, no one is really prepared to handle explosives, which is why an increasing number of organizations choose to implement virtual reality. By doing so, miners can be trained to handle different situations without actually putting themselves at risk.

For example, they could practice how to place, set, and detonate an explosive in a safe environment. If there are things that they don’t understand or if they make some mistakes along the way, they’ll be able to learn the right way of doing things, which means that they won’t cause any harm to the mines, nor people.

2. Underground Drones Are Here to Stay

You have no idea how valuable underground drones are. In fact, they’re used for a wide range of things including scouting mines, searching for caves, collecting information, and they can also help with the entire mapping process. Moreover, they’re quite beneficial for recording levels of gas, they’re able to map geological features, and they provide visual insights into the mine.

Mines are incredibly dangerous, so by sending drones to scout out the environment, miners are kept safe from any potential dangers. After all, there is always a risk that the entire mine will collapse, which is why most organizations choose to use high-quality underground drones.

3. Computing + Mining Programs Are Being Implemented

Did you know that the more automated a mine is, the easier it’ll be to collect info on it? Yup, this info can include a wide range of things, from the conditions within the area to the fleet maintenance needs. Now, the mine itself cannot be ‘automated’, instead, automated vehicles are added to it, which is exactly what collects the needed data.

Most of the programs available on the market are capable of compiling and sorting data, and with the implementation of such programs, operators and managers could monitor things such as how much material is utilized and if any equipment needs to be repaired, all of which is useful for preventing downtime.

4. Eco-Friendly, Electric Vehicles And Machines Are Popular

Although moving to all-electric vehicles is a slow process, it’s something that more and more organizations tend to go through. Yes, the initial cost will be quite high, but by purchasing electric vehicles such as the ones featured on fuchenglhd, there are various benefits that companies could gain. How is that possible when the investment is high?

Well, it’s quite simple, the operating expenses will be lowered, the machines are more efficient, there are no dangerous emissions released into our environment, which means that electric vehicles and machines are Eco-friendly. Some of the equipment that most companies choose to purchase first are LHDs, mobile rock breakers, and boom trucks.

5. Self-Driving Vehicles Are a Thing in The Industry

If there is one trend to watch in 2024, it self-driving machines, no matter if they’re drones, rail, or truck equipment. This is something that contributes to the mine being “intelligent”. What does this mean? Well, it means that they’ll be completely filled with trains, trucks, and other machines that can operate themselves.

These tech innovations will, of course, keep the workers completely safe, but more importantly, they could decrease the number of workers and operators needed. This means that these machines could slowly replace some processes that were done by humans, hence it’s something that’ll make the industry safer.

6. Blast Control And Optimization is Needed

By now, it’s pretty clear that a lot of things have changed in the mining industry, however, people working in the industry still need to rely on different types of explosives. To guarantee that the blast is successful, a wide range of organizations started relying on innovative equipment that’ll assist them throughout the process.

For example, by utilizing projected fragmentation methods, tracking programs, and data gathered, organizations could now gain a blasting strategy, which means that they’ll be able to analyze the site in different ways to ensure that everything goes according to their plans. After all, blasting is a complex process and all workers that aren’t in charge of the blast need to leave the area.

The blasting sites cannot be completely automated, however, things are slowly moving in that direction. For instance, electric detonators are used in the industry, and each year, there are new and improved models on the market. Keep in mind, although they’re electric, an experienced worker will still need to wire everything.

This is one of the reasons why the long-term objective and desire of the entire industry is to think of and build a reliable system that is entirely wireless, which means that the blasting process will be completely automated and it’ll only have to be monitored by experienced and skilled professionals to ensure that it’s successful.

Conclusion

Although you might have not realized that there are various innovations happening in the mining industry, there are. After all, there are so many things changing in the world around us, and this particular industry isn’t an exception, especially since innovative tech and equipment are making the processes done safer.

So, now that you’re aware of all the trends that are happening in the mining industry, you might not want to lose any more time. Instead, if you work in this field, you might want to open up your browser and do a little bit more research on all the tech and innovations available.