Brisbane robots save mining town

A fleet of robots designed and built in Brisbane helped save a US town from economic collapse after a massive explosion at the local limestone mine.

IT sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie: A fleet of robots helps save a US town after a massive explosion at the local mine.

But the scenario came true last year when Brisbane-based Australian Droid and Robot (ADR) used 10 of its robots to carry out vital safety inspections 1.7km underground at a century-old limestone mine in Tennessee.

Without the unmanned robots, the mine would have remained shut because it wasn’t safe for humans to inspect, crippling the economy of the nearby small town in the process.

Founded in 2013, ADR is at the cutting edge of automation in the mining sector improving both safety and profitability for mine operators.

ADR artificial intelligence manager Mat Allan says the successful mission guaranteed the 700-plus community of Crab Orchard could continue to make a living.

“None of the 21 employees at the mine operated by Lhoist North America were injured in the disaster which unleashed a catastrophic airblast travelling at 290km/h,” Allan tells City Beat from Mongolia where is working with mining giant Rio Tinto. “But without our robots it would have been closed down.

ADR Engineer Andrea Preller pictured with the equipment that helped the town. Picture David Clark

“The mine had initially tried to solve the problem with some drone companies in the US but no one could help. The mine owners searched the globe and eventually contacted us.”

Allan says the mission was the deepest remote underground mine inspection any robot had ventured into in the world.

“Previously if a mining incident like this happened a team of people would be sent into the mine but would expose themselves to potentially fatal risks,” he says.

He says deep mining, which could involve depths of more than 1.5km, will become more common in the future making for more hazardous mines.

“We will need to have solutions like these robots otherwise there will be mine closures which will be detrimental to communities that rely on mining,” Allan says.

He says that during the operation, the company’s remote inspection robots used military grade wireless technology to create a communication network in real time deep underground.

The company hopes to double its revenue over the next year as it takes on more work both in Australia and overseas. Allan is currently working in Mongolia on remote sensors in Rio Tinto’s giant Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mining project.

Brisbane technology company Australian Droid and Robot helped save an entire town in the US from economic collapse by helping reopen a shuttered mine, Engineer Andrea Preller.

He says robots will play an increasing role in boosting the profitability of mines. “Robots can go sooner into mines after blasts to assess safety and other parameters,” he says. “This can improve the profitability of a mine operation by up to 15 per cent.” Allan says robots and droids also can be used outside mining in sectors including defence and manufacturing.

“The core purpose of these robots is to operate in hazardous environments where it’s too dangerous to send someone,” he says. “Or it could take too much time depending on the emergency situation whether that’s related to health or potentially financial reasons.”

Billions of extra dollars in revenue is expected to be earned in the mining world over the coming decade as technology is not only applied to things like driverless trucks and diggers but in analysing the optimum way people and machines extract resources.

Companies such as Brisbane-based Interlate uses a hi-tech control centre at Milton that can monitor and crunch data from machinery and vehicles on mines around the world as any one time. A joint report by National Energy Resources Australia and METS Ignited, says automation, analytics and robots can be used to create a new wave of jobs in the resources sector rather than being the job killers they are often portrayed as being.

The report adds Australia has the opportunity to become a world-class producer of technologies for the mining sector.

SPEEDWAY SALE

Scrap metal king Ron Wanless has taken another step towards selling his beloved Archerfield International Speedway.

Wanless has appointed Cushman & Wakefield and CG Property Group to offload the 6.4ha site at  55-63 Colebard Street West, Acacia Ridge, with expectations it will sell for around $20m with industrial land in short supply.

Now in his 80s, Wanless built Archerfield Speedway which opened in 1978. In its heyday it hosted more than 15,000 fans at some events.

He comes from a horse racing background and got into cars through his scrap metal business competing in drag racing, winning two Australian Speedway Titles in 1978 and 1979 and competing on the touring car circuit before giving it away to focus on Wanless Enviro Services which he sold in 2013.

His two sons Dean and Todd have followed in their dad’s footsteps with Dean driving on the Supercar circuit, while Todd won two national Sprintcar titles.

They also followed their father into recycling with Dean the managing director of Wanless Waste Management based in Sydney while Todd is the founder and CEO Raw Metal Corp in Brisbane.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Morgan Ruig and Matt Richards, and Michael Callow and Michael Richardson of CG Property Group are marketing the property for Mr Wanless and his co-owners.

Callow said the property was a rare opportunity to acquire a site in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held land market and the property will attract developers, land bankers or owner occupiers.

Wanless boss Dean Wanless and his father Ron Wanless. Pic Mark Cranitch.

GRACEFUL MOVE

The Brisbane business community is set to get behind human rights advocate Gracelyn Smallwood when she addresses the Red Rose Foundation charity lunch on September 9.

The Red Rose Foundation is a national, not-for-profit charity working to address the impact domestic and family violence hason communities across Australia.

Smallwood is regarded as one of the most prominent First Nations health and justice experts in Australia. After growing up in North Queensland in an era with few options available for Aboriginal girls, Smallwood became a registered nurse and midwife,delivering care in communities across Queensland and remote Australia for 50 years.

She became the first Indigenous Australian to receive a Masters of Science in Public Health at James Cook University (JCU)for her groundbreaking work on HIV education in North Queensland indigenous communities. She was awarded an Order of Australian 1992 and was named National NAIDOC Person of the Year in 2014.

Dr Gracelyn Smallwood

WHEELIE GOOD

Kudos to veteran Brisbane businessman Tom Seymour who took part in the inaugural CEO Wheelie Challenge earlier this month

The challenge, organised by the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association, saw the chief executive of PwC Australia spend a day in a wheelchair along with other top executives.

“It has been enlightening to experience just one day in the life of people who use a wheelchair to appreciate their everyday challenges and understand more deeply the importance of inclusive workplaces and communities,” says Seymour. Others taking part include Committee for Brisbane chief executive Barton Green, BDO Partner Will Tuffley, Sunshine Coast Council chief executive Emma Thomas, and Housing Minister Mick De Brenni.