Anglo American has signed a five-year master agreement with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), based in Pittsburgh, USA, to develop automated technologies for mining. This ground-breaking partnership is set to significantly reduce the dangers miners face while working underground, and considerably enhance productivity and efficiency levels within the environment.

The innovation will allow the application of robotics to underground mining tasks that are unsafe and extremely challenging for humans, and will enable operations to reach mineral deposits that cannot be economically extracted under existing methods and mine layouts. Applications such as robotic mining equipment, mine mapping and automated inspections will be explored as part of this agreement.

Anglo American’s Technology Development Group and CMU’s Robotics Institute (RI), through its National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) and Field Robotics Center (FRC), to design, build and deploy mining robots, robotic tools and autonomous technologies.

David Bentley, Group Head of Technology (Anglo American) notes that the agreement aligns consistently with the company’s overall strategy relating to safety, technology and innovation.

“Our approach to safety is outlined in the Anglo American Safety Way, a comprehensive framework of roles and responsibilities supported by a set of safety principles and mandatory safety standards. The Safety Way recognises that both people and systems are core elements to health and safety performance in a mining business.

“Anglo American strives to partner with others suppliers in advancing safety and technology within our own operations and in the general mining industry, and our collaboration with CMU’s robotics institute will notably advance our strategy in this regard.

“Ultimately, automating the most difficult, costly, and dangerous mining activities will help create far more sustainable and safe working conditions for all underground operators working in the mining industry and will also increase the productivity and efficiency of Anglo American’s operations.”

Tony Stentz, director of CMU’s National Robotics Engineering Center, asserts that the five-year agreement with Anglo American will significantly benefit the mining industry.

“We are thrilled that Anglo American selected CMU as its partner for developing innovative mining robotics. This agreement will undoubtedly break new ground in mining technology and improve productivity through innovations in processes and technologies.”

Anglo American already has a firm safety strategy in place to deliver improvements in safety performance. Included in this strategy is a risk-based and integrated approach that involves the people, systems and process elements of managing safety, and this collaborate with robotics development and CMU supports that strategy.

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