The Skorpion is a compact drill carrier designed as a precision instrument to access uneven terrain and confined mining spaces safely. It is piloted by a single operator who stands on a specially designed platform at the rear of the vehicle. They use the wired connection to navigate the mine to the desired location. According to the Skorpion’s entry on the James Dyson Foundation website (http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-GB/projects/skorpion-rock-drill/), “the quadruped all-terrain system allows for optimal mobility over rough terrain and optimal stability when the drilling mast is fully extended. To improve visibility the Skorpion has been outfitted with high-power, floor-to-ceiling LED lights. These are designed to illuminate the entire drilling face as well as the terrain when the unit is mobile. When the desired location is reached the operator can then detach the control panel and initiate the drilling sequence at a safe distance by remote. This wired/wireless system removes the operator from hazards by reducing environmental exposure when the unit is mobile and exposure to vibration and noise when the unit is drilling. The wireless operation can also be used in instances where the Skorpion must traverse particularly rough terrain or must be lowered down a narrow shaft.

The Skorpion is powered by a hybrid air-electric system. When navigating the mine, the in-hub motors run off of batteries located in the side compartments. In order to drill, the vehicle must be connected to the mine’s compressed air and water reticulation systems. The compressed air that powers the drill is also passed through a motor that recharges the batteries, while the water lubricates the drill steel in the conventional way. This feature not only reduces needless fuel consumption, it also improves the overall air quality in the subterranean environment. The high powered pneumatic drill generates a high level of vibration and noise. Due to the confines of the mining environment the noise has nowhere to dissipate. The drill has a secondary safety measure in the form of a noise shield.

“The Skorpion is a user-friendly, compact drill carrier designed to improve the safety and efficiency of operators in the underground environment.”

ACIDO announced the winners of the 13th annual Rocket Show for emerging industrial design talent in May 2014 at the Design Exchange in Toronto. This exhibition and competition featured the work of the top industrial design graduates from Carleton University, Humber College and OCAD U.

This year, Borys Chylinski took the top prize for his Skorpion. He says he was inspired to tackle the subject of mining “because of my grandfather Adam, who was a miner for 35 years in my home town of Lubin, Poland. I knew that working underground was inherently dangerous, but not much more than that so I had to do extensive research into the industry to find my niche. Originally I was looking at helmets, lighting, respirators and other protective equipment and it wasn’t until I stumbled upon the jackleg drill that I began considering a vehicle design. The jackleg is a versatile hand tool. Although its design hasn’t really changed since the 1930s, it is considered one of the most important tools in mining. Unfortunately, due to its weight and poor ergonomics the jackleg is responsible for nearly 1/3 of all underground mining injuries. This was a shock because there are so many modern vehicles and tools that are heavily human-centred and employ some of the most advanced technologies that I have seen. So I set out to design something that could combine the versatility of the jackleg drill, with the comfort and safety of the larger modern drilling machines. Since subterranean mining was as foreign to me as space exploration I did much of my research on Nasa’s Mars rover, the Boston Dynamics robots and other emerging technologies. I tried to apply these technologies to solve the primary hazards in underground mining: air quality, ergonomics, noise, terrain, vibration and visibility. The resulting design concept was the Skorpion.”