In a significant step to accelerate digitalization in coal mines, a team of robotics researchers from IIT Roorkee conducted trials in the opencast mines of South Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Chhattisgarh-based Coal India. The team at IIT Roorkee is currently working on developing drones for coal mines under their project “Design and Development of an Intelligent Unmanned Aerial Vehicle applied for Open Cast Minefield Surveillance for Real Time Monitoring, Hazards and Vulnerability Assessment”. Is working.
Under this project the team has started working on developing a drone to overcome the problems related to stock measurement in open cast mines. Once developed, the drone will help any surveyor to measure the coal stock or overburden by sending the drone to any part of the mine. I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IHFC) – the technology innovation hub of IIT Delhi will serve as the funding agency for this project.
SECL will help the research team by providing technical expertise on the coal mines so that they can get critical data for the project. The team of robotics expert Professor Dr. Pushpraj Mani Pathak, post-doctoral researcher Dr. Ashish Gupta and postgraduate student Zunoon Ali Shaban recently conducted drone-related trials at Rajnagar coal mine in Hasdeo area and SECL's Jamuna coal mine in Amadand area of Kotma area. Visited the mine. The team also successfully tested a drone manufactured in their institute's laboratory for the use of drone technology in coal mines.
The use of drones will help boost production and productivity in mines and provide vital logistics support. The safety aspect of mines can also be greatly improved by monitoring slopes and blasting through drones. Drones can help in accurately monitoring flying rocks and other materials during blasting in open cast mines so that steps can be taken to reduce accidents and in this case false claims can be dealt with. If any kind of item has to be delivered to the face machinery, then drones can be used for this also. In case of an accident, medicines or food items can also be delivered to the workforce working at the front.