{"id":1150889,"date":"2019-11-20T16:05:39","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T22:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1007287"},"modified":"2019-11-20T16:05:39","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T22:05:39","slug":"autonomous-drones-to-lead-the-way-in-mining-surveillance-technology-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1150889","title":{"rendered":"Autonomous drones to lead the way in mining surveillance technology \u2014 report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Miners\u00a0are expected\u00a0to continue using\u00a0autonomous drone technology as a complement to new IOT\u00a0solutions to improve mine operation efficiency and worker safety, a new industry trend analysis by <em>Fitch Solutions<\/em> finds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Drones with autonomous capabilities and extended flight time will be preferred as both offer further efficiency gains to other available options, while a\u00a0country&#8217;s regulatory environment will be a notable drawback on the pace of autonomous drone advancement and adoption,\u00a0<em>Fitch <\/em>forecasts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The low industrial metal price environment will further\u00a0incentivise\u00a0miners to adopt technology enhancements to improve margins, analysts say.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u00a0Drones can\u00a0also\u00a0capture data and pictures of haul roads and stockpiled ore more frequently, allowing mine operators to assess if current operations are in line with the designed plan and assess if maintenance is needed <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Drone technology is a\u00a0fairly recent\u00a0addition to mining operations\u00a0\u2014\u00a0BHP\u00a0only\u00a0began implementing drone technology in 2017 at its coal mines in Queensland and the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia.\u00a0BHP\u00a0then\u00a0announced\u00a0that overhead surveying usually done by aircraft could now be done by\u00a0drones, saving\u00a0the\u00a0company\u00a0about\u00a0$3.4\u00a0million\u00a0a\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0The technology\u00a0is impactful, as it\u00a0has the\u00a0ability to\u00a0quickly survey various areas of a mining operation, which has led to improved worker safety and productivity gains, the\u00a0report finds. Drones can more easily inspect\u00a0and\u00a0monitor cranes, towers, slopes and blasting areas, reducing worker involvement in more dangerous sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Drones can\u00a0also\u00a0capture data and pictures of haul roads and stockpiled ore more frequently, allowing mine operators to assess if current operations are in line with the designed plan and assess if maintenance is needed, <em>Fitch <\/em>reports.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Fitch-graf-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1007290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Fitch-graf-1.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Fitch-graf-1-300x175.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Drones with autonomous capabilities and extended flight time will be preferred as both offer further efficiency gains compared to other available options.\u00a0Drone technology can\u00a0currently\u00a0be used by hiring a third-party drone service, training employees to manually pilot the drones remotely or using autonomous drone options owned by the mine, which\u00a0can be costly and time consuming. Using\u00a0a third party could also limit the frequency of drone usage due to the cost of frequently having a\u00a0third party\u00a0travel to remote mining operations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Fitch<\/em>\u00a0expects\u00a0\ufb01rms will adopt a strategy of ownership of autonomous drones as the technology improves and regulations allow for its use,\u00a0and\u00a0expects\u00a0drones with longer \ufb02ight time capabilities will be\u00a0favoured\u00a0as the drone could theoretically cover a larger area before needing to recharge\u00a0or\u00a0replace its battery, saving time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While <em>Fitch<\/em> sees increasing adoption rates, analysts maintain that regulation will remain a hurdle in miners&#8217; use of drones in the coming years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fitchsolutions.com\/products\/sector-intelligence\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"full report here.\u00a0 (opens in a new tab)\">full report here.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The technology is impactful, as it has the ability to quickly survey various areas of a mining operation, which has led to improved worker safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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