PRESS RELEASE: The brand new next generation release of AutoMine Lite 2.0 includes both consistent high-speed automated production missions and smart teleoperation capabilities for dynamic mining operations. As a combined package, the new AutoMine Lite 2.0 solution is designed for integrated autonomy and advanced remote control of underground loaders and trucks.

AutoMine Lite is a powerful tool to take advantage of full equipment performance through automation, and delivers substantial benefits including increased productivity, improved safety and cost efficiency in mining. Loader or truck production cycles can be automated with autonomous tramming and dumping as well as with loaders using Sandvik’s automatic bucket loading assistant functionality.

Automated missions with AutoMine Lite are particularly suitable for mining operations requiring repeatable and consistently high performance, such as sub-level open stoping, sub-level caving, transfer levels or individual block caving drives. In addition to the optimised route-based automation, intelligent teleoperation is now an integral part of the AutoMine Lite 2.0 product, enabling also automatic steering without pre-defined paths. This integrated solution expands the range of ideal mining applications to continuously changing mining environments, such as applications with small stopes or mine development.

Jarkko Ruokojärvi, product line manager, automation at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, said: “AutoMine is the fastest underground loading and trucking solution on the market. The combination of automation and smart teleoperation capabilities means greater flexibility, enabling mining customers to use the most efficient operating mode in each production area or even both modes in sections of the same production cycle. It is also easy for the operator to take full advantage of the new features in the system. Switching operating modes – from automation to smart assisted teleoperation and vice versa – is simply done by pressing a button.”

AutoMine Lite provides extra productive hours each day by allowing the continued operation of the loader or truck during blast clearance times. Additionally, equipment utilisation is increased as operators can hand over between shifts much faster without the need to locate and travel to the equipment. Another advantage of AutoMine Lite is that it significantly extends the lifetime of equipment, as the machine runs optimally, reducing wear and tear and maintenance costs. The AutoMine system is designed to a high level of safety and eliminates operator exposure to potential hazards in underground environments.

The AutoMine Lite 2.0 solution is built on the proven AutoMine platform and can also be easily expanded to AutoMine Multi-Lite, which enables each system operator to simultaneously control multiple loaders or trucks and achieve even more significant value.