Swedish mining equipment company Epiroc has launched a drilling software package called Mobius for Drills that it says will use AI to consolidate and analyse data from sensors to aid decision-making.
Epiroc said the new product, developed in partnership with US-based autonomous technology company ASI Mining, will provide mining companies with insights such as map drill usage, evaluate statistics, track consumables.
Mobius for Drills can work with drills from multiple manufacturers, and can also be used as a Fleet Management System or integrate with a mine's existing system, said Epiroc.
The product aims to create single platform for all stakeholders within the drilling operation to quickly navigate data, filter it to their needs and streamline the decision-making process.
The software also imports drill plans, monitors drilling, and creates reports over a secure system on-site or remotely. It supports manual operations, teleoperation, semi- and fully-autonomous modes, and covers applications from drill and blast through autonomous haulage systems.
Mobius for Drills follows the 2019 launch of the standalone Mobius product, which offers advanced unmanned command and control solutions for robotic vehicle operations.
ASI Mining is partially owned by Epiroc, which acquired 34% of the company in 2018. ASI Mining's majority parent (66% shareholder), Autonomous Solutions (ASI) works on general industrial vehicle automation.
Mobius can be used to connect work sites in many surface and underground applications, and the company will continue to add to its suite.
Mobius for Drills will work for instance with autonomous drilling products, such as the Pit Viper 270 XC, a blasthole drilling rig that was launched last year.
