MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates and Peck Tech Consulting have announced their collaboration to jointly develop and support advanced technology solutions for the mining industry. The relationship will provide greater flexibility to respond to the needs of significant, forward-looking mining customers and to more effectively leverage existing space technologies into terrestrial applications.

Combining Peck’s innovative systems for monitoring, control, guidance and automation of mobile mining equipment, with MDA’s emerging technologies in visualisation and robotics, will make it possible to deliver solutions having direct relevance and significant impact on a variety of mining related activities.

“As we have done in other industries, we believe that applying an end-to-end systems engineering approach to complex automation, productivity and safety issues can result in a significant change to the way mining is done today,” said Steve Oldham, vice president for robotics at MDA. “Our collaboration with Peck Tech gives MDA access to unique and proven industry knowledge and existing opportunities.”

Jonathan Peck, CEO of Peck Tech added, “Our common view of a systems approach to technology solutions is a key element of establishing the relationship with MDA. In addition, MDA gives Peck Tech immediate access to world class R&D capabilities and technologies that have been proven in other industries having similar challenges to mining.”

Through this initiative MDA and Peck will jointly define, develop, implement and support advanced technology solutions to the quarrying, open pit and underground mining, oil sands, oil & gas and marine construction industries.