Robots changing Australian mining

IT WILL be like a scene from the film Star Wars.

IT WILL be like a scene from the film Star Wars.

The future of mining in Australia will involve trucks and trains running without drivers, while robots run key operations alongside totally automated large drilling rigs, the central control centre located thousands of kilometres from the mine site.

This was the view of John McGagh, the head of innovation for the giant Rio Tinto group, speaking in Brisbane yesterday.

Addressing the Austmine international mining conference, Mr McGagh said advanced robotics and key operations centres thousands of kilometres from the mine site would constitute the mine of the future.

He said Rio was already investigating and implementing robotic technology and was set to install a totally automated tunnel machine in one of its mines later this year.

Rio is developing automated tunnel machines, driverless trucks, trains and drilling rigs and new sensor equipment to locate prime deposits.

Mr McGagh said while many miners pointed to the labour shortage as a key problem, it was an advantage which would lead to greater technical advances in the mining industry.

"Australia has been dealt a great hand," Mr McGagh said. "We have world-class mining companies, education system and technology and we are now building on that."

He said another common complaint was the tyranny of distance but, again, that was a great opportunity for technology companies.

He said in WA the company was already running several remote mining operations from its headquarters in Perth.

"We want to exploit the resources better and get underground faster and recover more from the deposits," he said.

Mr McGagh said Queensland was instrumental in Rio's push into the future with the group also poised to soon move into new headquarters in the CBD which will house 2000.