METS Ignited has announced four ambitious companies to take part in a 12-month program to evaluate new cost-effective sensor technologies.

“With more data available, in shorter timeframes, on an expanding number of devices – IoT sensors and data collection are changing the nature of the mining industry and providing METS companies with significant opportunity to develop new applications to capture and extract value,” METS Ignited said.

METS Ignited is dedicated to helping the Australian METS sector develop globally competitive skills and knowledge, and drive the adoption of digital technologies and innovation into industry.

Its Industry Growth Centre has partnered with Innovation Central Perth (ICP), a centre led by Cisco with partners Curtin University, Woodside and CSIRO’s Data61, to aid the development and commercialisation of IoT technology to service a wide array of industries.

Due to the level of interest and calibre of applications, METS Ignited extended the original opportunity of two memberships valued at A$10,000 ($7,128) each, to four. The four Western Australia-based businesses embarking on the program are Bis, Xsights Digital, Roborigger and Integrity Engineering Solutions (IES), all of which are set to accelerate their knowledge and application for IoT technologies in an innovation program run by ICP, it said.

Bis is a resources logistics company, providing innovative logistics, materials handling and specialised equipment solutions to the global mineral resources sector.

Xsights is an Australia-owned company focused on being the leading provider of technology-enhanced data collection and insights reporting solutions for real-time audience measurement and asset tracking.

Roborigger paves the new way of thinking about crane lifting and logistics with the wireless load controlling device that improves safety and efficiency by keeping people away from the loads, controlling loads using wireless and logging all load movements with images and weight.

IES has developed the patented RT-Bolt load measurement system, which allows real-time measurement of the load in any fastener during assembly or operation. This facilitates significant improvement of the reliability of critical bolted joints in the resources industries.

ICP’s Wireless Industrial Sensor Environment Program will deliver foundational learning in sensors, visualisation platforms, data science, networks and communications. Each of the participating companies will gain access to a test environment and resources to collaborate and build real world industrial IoT solutions, METS Ignited says.