TECHNOLOGY

Optimus prime for Worsley arrival

Drone technology coming to South32 operation.

Karma Barndon
An Airobotics drone in action over a mine site.

An Airobotics drone in action over a mine site.

Airobotics co-founder and chief executive officer Ran Krauss said the launch would be the first deployment for Airobotics in Australia.

South32 is expected to use the drone to amass data and insights from Worsley, in a 3D digital environment that could enable future improvements.

The platform is the first of its kind in the global market and comes in three parts; Optimus, the drone; Airbase, the automated base station; and the cloud based software.

The drone can be launched automatically from the Airbase on pre-programed or on-demand missions, and once a mission is complete the drone returns to the Airbase, where a robotic arm replaces its battery and payload before deploying the drone on the next mission.

With a swappable payload mechanism the multi-tool drone is also capable of carrying various sensors and payloads.

Airobotics is working to pick up a Remote Operator’s Certificate from The Civil Aviation Safety Authority to go with its US Federal Aviation Administration waiver authorisation and commercial license from the Civil Aviation Authority International in Israel.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production