It’s so simple that it falls squarely into the category of “why didn’t I think of that?” In fact, the best inventions are usually just that … simple.
Luminous paint is nothing new on a minesite. Haul roads have markers daubed with the fluorescent stuff, or traffic cones that illuminate when a vehicle shines its lights on them.
But those clever chaps in Holland appear to have taken fluorescence to another level.
A 500m stretch of highway in the Netherlands is the focus of a trial to test new glow-in-the-dark road markings, or glow lines.
Once the paint has absorbed daylight, it can glow in the dark for up to eight hours. The paint contains a photo-luminising powder that charges up during the day, slowly releasing a green glow during the hours of darkness.
So what’s the aim of the study?
It’s a collaboration between Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde and civil engineering firm Heijmans.
Roosegaarde said his inspiration came from the Dutch government’s decision to shut down street lights at night, prompting the search for a cheap and safe alternative for Holland’s drivers.
Dutch engineers Heijmans were already working on projects involving energy-neutral street lighting when Roosegaarde teamed up with them.
Roosegaarde explained: "I was completely amazed that we somehow spend billions on the design and R&D of cars, but somehow the roads - which actually determine the way our landscape looks - are completely immune to that process.
"I forced them to look at movies of jellyfish. How does a jellyfish give light? It has no solar panel, it has no energy bill.
"And then we went back to the drawing board and came up with these paints which charge up in the daytime and give light at night."
So where does mining come in to the equation? Nowhere, yet!
But the interesting aspect of this technology is what else it’s capable of.
The benefits of fluorescent paint on a minesite that works through the night are obvious.
And this is where it gets interesting. The team behind the trial, now underway south of Amsterdam, is also exploring the development of temperature-sensitive paint.
Snowflake or icicle symbols that illuminate when the temperature falls below a certain level would alert drivers to potential danger.
The technology is still in the experimental stages. But imagine the safety benefits of being able to design a sign that’s triggered by a pre-determined temperature or light change.
The moment darkness falls, haul truck drivers could be reminded to exercise greater caution or increase awareness at critical points of a haul cycle – without the help of a diesel-fuelled generator powering an electronic sign board.
Supplying energy to Australia’s minesites is a constant challenge and represents a significant portion of any operating budget.
Mine managers will be in no hurry to swap lighting systems for fluorescent paint. But at the very least, the technology offers an interesting backup option, should power fail.
It also has the capacity to add more defined borders and lines to haul roads and junctions. Visibility is everything on a minesite, particularly at night.
Anything that can enhance and improve safety by even a small percentage will interest mining companies and the miners who work there.
Technology that’s proven in any sector is quickly adopted elsewhere if it has the benefit to improve on existing practices.
It may not be too long before the Australian mining industry is glowing in the dark.
