Grant: Alliance Grants

The mining sector holds a critical position within Canada's economy, making a substantial $125 billion contribution to the national GDP. It represents a significant 22 percent of Canada's total domestic exports and offers employment to 665,000 individuals, both directly and indirectly, across the country. This industry, however, faces challenges due to labore shortage, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Although autonomous mining systems have shown advancements in open-pit mines, the shift to underground mining introduces significant hurdles. These obstacles include the absence of GPS signals, low visibility, confined spaces, and concurrent operation of multiple vehicles thus adding to the complexities of autonomous mining in underground settings. To achieve fully autonomous underground mining, initial steps must be taken to move from manual operations toward full autonomy. This project aims to push the boundaries of existing limited automation in underground mining by developing reliable perception and localization, along with advanced operation assist and diagnostic/prognostic systems. These technologies aim to address industry challenges in safety, labor shortages, efficiency, and sustainability. With real-world testing, our goal is to make these technologies ready for commercialization by our industry partner. These advancements will pave the way for full autonomous underground mining in near future. The outcomes of this research program will support one of the most crucial industries in Canada with substantial economic benefits. The technologies developed in this research program will pave and expedite the development of autonomous underground mining, positioning Canada as a leader in this emerging field. HQP involved in the project will gain invaluable experience in numerous technologies that are highly sought after by our industry partner and other high-tech Canadian companies.