An Israeli leader in automated drone technology, Airobotics has announced the beginning of an exclusive distribution partnership with engineering company RockBlast to allow Chilean mining companies to use the advanced Airobotics system at mining sites. In the permanent search for new technologies, RockBlast became the first company to introduce a fully autonomous drone system into South America to enhance and improve the mining industry
As one of the leading mining companies in Chile, Minera Centinela is actively seeking to improve the efficiency and productivity of its operations while creating a safe work environment for its employees and the surrounding area. Airobotics’ autonomous drones including the Optimus will be used at the Minera Centinela mine to help achieve this goal with their 24/7 multi-purpose functionality and safe and easy operations which do not interfere with mine operations
“We’re successfully implementing our autonomous drones with Tier 1 mining companies in the US, Australia and Israel, and we’re excited to expand our operations into Chile,” said Ran Krauss, CEO and Co-Founder of Airobotics. “The Optimus drone will help improve Minera Centinela’s competitiveness in the market, increase efficiency, and improve safety for its employees. Our partnership with RockBlast will also allow us to deliver our disruptive technology to mines across Chile improving the overall mining industry in the country.”
Automation has boosted productivity at mine sites by 25% and drones are one of the most versatile and cost-effective ways to integrate automation into the industry. Without the need for human pilots, they can operate safely in the most hazardous and remote sites. Airobotics’ automated drones perform a variety of applications, which will be implemented at RockBlast’s customer mine sites, enabling continuous operation of the open pit while retrieving highly accurate data of operational progress. These applications include:
• Stockpile volumes and end-of-month reconciliation
• Terrain mapping and change detection
• Asset management and scheduling
• Situational awareness and emergency response
• Infrastructure and equipment inspection
• Security and surveillance
“Drones have positioned themselves as a technological tool of high value throughout the world, particularly in mining. As part of the growing digitization of information in mining, the data obtained by drones has become an essential factor for decision making in the different stages of the mining process and RockBlast, together with Airobotics, is a part of this new era,” said Horacio Gutierrez Abelaida, CEO of RockBlast.
Airobotics has developed a pilotless drone solution, the first of its kind in the global market. It provides an end-to-end, fully automatic solution for collecting aerial data and gaining invaluable insights. The industrial grade platform is available on-site and on-demand, enabling industrial facilities to access premium aerial data in a faster, safer, more efficient way.
The team at Airobotics fuses expertise in aerospace hardware design, robust electronic systems, leading software engineering, and years of experience in commercial drone operations. This varied experience has allowed them to design a solution suited to address the needs of the world’s most complex industrial environments.
RockBlast started its operations in 2010. The company was created by professionals from the mining industry. It has gained its position in the Chilean market as an outstanding player in drilling and blasting, geomechanics and technological development. Innovation and state-of-the-art technology, together with the high specialization of its team are part of RockBlast DNA. The company has had a sustained growth in recent years, with technology and engineering contracts for companies such as BHP Billiton, Anglo American Chile, Antofagasta Minerals, Lunding Mining and Pucobre.
Minera Centinela is part of the Antofagasta group and is located in the Antofagasta Region; specifically 21 km from the town of Sierra Gorda. In addition, it maintains a dock in the town of Michilla, a coastal town belonging to the municipality of Mejillones. Centinela mines both copper sulphide and oxide ores. It produces copper concentrate with gold and silver byproducts. During 2016 Minera Centinela produced 236,000 t of fine copper.
