Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology says it is augmenting its autonomous mining capabilities through a new partnership with Exyn Technologies Inc. The statement said: “Customers will benefit from the unique combination of Sandvik’s world leading digital mining solutions and Exyn’s deep knowledge of autonomous aerial robot systems.”

“We are committed to empowering a transformation to autonomy in underground mining,” says Patrick Murphy, President of Rock Drills & Technologies, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. “This partnership will open up unique benefits, build on our industry leading automation offering and drive faster decision-making in mining processes to seize new opportunities for improving production performance.”

Through this partnership the companies are working together “to provide efficient solutions for mapping and visioning underground mines, which will make a substantial difference when it comes to mine locations that are hazardous, hard to reach or conventionally time-consuming to survey and inspect.” Sandvik’s OptiMine® combined with data collected by Exyn’s aerial robots creates progressive visualisation and information of the mine’s actual environment to increase overall transparency of the mining process. “The future collaboration between Sandvik and Exyn will entail research on how to apply and generate 3D views and perceptions of underground spaces autonomously, while leveraging the full potential of Sandvik’s AutoMine® system.”

“We are excited about this new partnership with Sandvik as they are recognised as an innovator in the industry and have revolutionised underground mining,” says Nader Elm, CEO and Co-Founder of Exyn Technologies. “For the first time, customers will be able to map the entirety of their underground operations, even in dangerous GPS denied environments, while making mining safer and improving productivity. Through this partnership, we hope to empower efficient decision-making for customers and drive towards the vision of fully autonomous mining operations.”

Exyn Technologies is pioneering autonomous aerial robot systems for complex, GPS-denied environments. The company’s full-stack solution enables flexible deployment of single or multi-robots that can intelligently navigate and dynamically adapt to complex environments in real-time. It says: “For the first time, industries like mining, logistics, and construction can benefit from a single, integrated solution to capture critical and time-sensitive data in a safer, more affordable, and more efficient way.”

Sandvik is a world leader in mining automation, implementing digital mining solutions for more than two decades. AutoMine® covers all aspects of automation, from remote and autonomous operation of a single piece of equipment, to multi-machine control and full-fleet automation using automatic mission and traffic control capabilities. OptiMine® is one of the most comprehensive solutions for optimising underground hard rock mining production and processes. “It integrates all assets and people – including Sandvik and non-Sandvik equipment – delivering descriptive and predictive insights to improve operations.”