___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sensors
So , what else might be at play here ?
No mine site should have a single point of failure , and the reliance upon implementing just one sensor-based technology for autonomous operation is a huge risk , with the potential for costly downtime , or impacts on personnel safety , as a result .
One of the greatest threats right now to GPS is ‘ jamming ,’ or ‘ spoofing ,’ where a frequencytransmitting device can be used to block or interfere with radio communications . Equally , GPS denied environments need redundancy , should there be no line-of-sight , quite often an issue in mining environments because of natural geometry or infrastructure .
To compound this , there is the ever-looming threat of solar excitation events , which can seriously degrade the performance and accuracy of any Global Navigation Satellite System ( GNSS ). This problem is well known to space scientists , with the effects being seen more often by satellite operators than those of a more terrestrial nature . While satellite technology takes account of the harsh operating environment of space , major events inevitably have an effect . GNSS outages are expected , for example , between 2024 and 2026 – with a peak anticipated in 2025 - when NASA , amongst others , have predicted the impacts this will have on technology on earth , and in space .
Navtech ’ s radar localization solution is achieving just that . It combines radar technology with mapping and localization software to deliver never-seen-before pinpoint , centimeter-level localization , even in the harshest conditions and environments .
... radar technology can be deployed to help manage ever more demanding tasks
This can also be augmented through multiexperience mapping , combining the radar solution with world-leading autonomous vehicle software to collect the data needed to map any environment in incredible detail .
Back to those four Ds
Industrial automation in mining has come a long way , in that it is continually improving
Sam Wood www . navtechradar . com
processes and production . It could be argued , however , that it has to some extent exacerbated safety procedures because we have brought in an added dimension to how we manage and track large and heavy machinery . Yes , the dull , dirty , dangerous , and dear tasks are now being performed autonomously , but progress isn ’ t just about completing these tasks – progress is about being dynamic .
Being more dynamic will mean using industrial automation to take us to the next level , to do what humans can ’ t , and to perform tasks that make mining more productive , more cost-effective , and of course more positive in their impact upon both the bottom line as well as the wellbeing and safety of operators . ■
For a list of the sources used in this article , please contact the editor .
Navtech Radar innovates with radar to deliver worldfirst capabilities in highways safety , critical national infrastructure security and industrial automation . Its solutions provide reliable performance in all conditions and push the boundaries of what is traditionally possible , using its unique radar technology . Navtech is a member of ITS America .
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