Visitors to NORCAT’s Training Centre in Levack got to experience emerging mining technology first-hand this week at the world’s only trade show held inside an active underground mine. The third Mining Transformed was held May 26 & 27, with 28 of the 54 exhibits set up in the underground part of NORCAT, normally a working mine site. “We found that a standard trade show doesn’t give enough for the buyers or the sellers,” said Greg Major, the director of the underground centre. 90% of new tech improves safety Emerging technologies can help improve productivity and efficiency for mining companies, but Major said 90 per cent of the new tech improves safety in the mining sector. “Everything they’re designing is to keep the worker safer,” he said, adding that mining is an ‘inherently dangerous job.’ “Innovators and technology inventors don’t just make this stuff willy-nillym” said Major. “They’ve gone to the mines and have asked ‘what’s wrong, what could we do, what are your challenges.’” He said once they know that information, they go back to their industry to design, build and test in a warehouse. “But when you test in an operating mine that’s what matters,” Major said. Drones, robots and autonomous vehicles demoed One of the exhibitors was North Bay-based SafeSight Exploration. There were two representatives at the booth underground who were demonstrating the company’s DBV Drone for visitors. Two others were in a control room on the surface remotely operating the DeepTraxx Rover, moving around underground. “Our tech is designed to go underground where for personnel it’s probably not the best place for them to be,” said Joe Pazzano, the company’s vice-president of sales. “We work at keeping them safe, while at the same time we gather tremendous data. Today, in mining data is a keystone for all sorts of important key decision making.” Pazzano said people in the industry are now understanding what the value is in terms of the data that they’re gathering and how they can apply it to their mining operations and at the same time keep people. Quebec-based Arlyx was showcasing its autonomous electric vehicle, which was moving a 2,000lb case during its demo. “We help mines with traffic in moving stuff – consumables, parts, materials – during the venting period,” said Arlyx founder Michael Simard, adding that the vehicle is made to move ore and firefighting modules. “With our autonomous vehicle, that is electric, we can go when there’s nobody underground because it’s too dangerous,” he added. “(Mines) are struggling with human resources, the mines are deeper and deeper, so they need to find solutions, like Arlyx,” said Simard. Real-time data tracking Mathieu Paul, the director for GeoMoby came from Australia to show off that company’s real-time data-tracking technology already installed in the mines there. “The beauty is by giving eyes and ears to management and people on surface we have improved safety, emergency response but also production, ventilation and a number of other use cases,” Paul said. “All the data goes to the notes and is sent to the surface so that mine control can see what’s happening at any given time in their mine.” According to NORCAT, there were 400 attendees and exhibitors on site over the two-day event. The next Mining Transformed will be held in 2028.
