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Discovery Channel Canada’s science and technology news series, Daily Planet, aired the Bingham Canyon Mine story as part of their September 23, 2013 episode.
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One of the largest landslides in mining history quickly became a showcase for autonomous mining technology. Shortly after the April 10th slide, administrators of the Bingham Canyon Mine (Kennecott/Rio Tinto) near Salt Lake City, Utah, began looking for innovative ways to clean up the debris, much of which is steep and unstable. With more than ten years of experience automating mining equipment, Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) provided the technology for six remote control excavators to assist cleanup efforts.
The application of ASI’s vehicle robotics caught the attention of media outlets, including the Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet, which highlights interesting technology applications around the world in short documentaries. The Daily Planet joined ASI reps at the Bingham Canyon Mine to see the effects of the slide and robotic mining equipment in action.
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“The scope of the slide was immense,” said Jared Pratt, VP of Business Development for ASI who was onsite with production crews. “It was hard to mentally frame due to the scale of both the mine and the equipment addressing it.”
“The remote control solutions for the excavators were and are a critical component of the remediation,” continued Pratt. “The technology allows for heavy machinery to operate in the slide area near the face of the pit without putting individuals in harm’s way.”
So far, robotic technology has been responsible for clearing more than 80,000 tons of material from the unstable areas near the top of the slide. Clearly, there’s still a long way to go, but equipped with the latest technologies, Kennecott is pushing cleanup efforts forward while ensuring the safety of their employees.
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