AUTOMATION in the mining industry is believed by many as an effective way to improve safety.
Many accidents are caused between humans and mine vehicles and other equipment.
CSIRO's Exploration & Mining Division and the ICT Centre researchers through the Minerals Down Under National Research Flagship are collaborating with Pilbara Iron and Rio Tinto Expansion Projects Iron Ore Automation Group to apply automation at the Parker Point iron ore loading facility at Dampier.
The groups claim that the chief objective of introducing teleoperation is to remove human operators from hazardous environments while increasing efficiency and reducing the risks of an operation.
One large teleoperation project underway in Western Australia involves the difficult and necessarily precise operation of loading a bulk carrier with iron ore. The ore is loaded using a bulk shiploader that is fed by a conveyor system from the stacker/reclaimer yard.
While the port's stacker/reclaimer system is fully automated, the actual loading process is entirely manual, locally controlled by an operator from a cabin perched at the end of the shiploader's boom.
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