ROBOTICS FOR MINING

The deterioration of mining conditions, the rising cost of labor, the limited potential of both humans and traditional mining machines and the lack of skilled workers are some of the reasons to consider robots in mining. The history of mining robotics since 1967 is analysed. Six criteria for using robots are presented and evaluated. Three possible shapes for mining robotics are presented. Several examples of robotics-based mining are suggested. Functional modelling and Petri nets are used in order to simulate mining robotic systems. To evaluate a profitability of robotics for mining, a simple method using both direct and indirect sources of robotics efficiency is proposed.