RocketDNA has it's deployed it's autonomous xBot® drone-in-a-box solution to Rio Tinto’s flagship Gudai-Darri mine in Western Australia, to test the capabilities and resilience of autonomous drone docking systems in a mining environment.

Gudai-Darri's situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and is known for its extreme summer heat (reaching up to 50°C/ 122°F), magnetic red dust and cyclone-prone weather patterns and currently operates a fleet of autonomous haul trucks, drills and water carts across the site.

Each xBot® system is operated remotely via Starlink and is flown by dedicated remote drone pilots, based in Perth and Adelaide, who monitor the flights at all stages. The drone flies pre-programmed or ad-hoc missions and then returns to the drone docking station where it recharges and flies again.

The SurveyBot is one of RocketDNA's xBot® Drone-in-a-Box solutions and has been largely used on the Gudai-Darri site by the Survey and Mining Technical teams to help automate their daily aerial data capture requirements.

Use Cases at Gudai Darri

The SurveyBot is one of RocketDNA's Drone-in-a-Box solutions and has been widely used on the Gudai-Darri site by the Mining Technical Services (MTS) and Operational teams.

The system allows for automated drone missions - flown by remote drone pilots in Perth and Adelaide who monitor the flights at all stages. The drone flies a mission and then returns to the box where it re-charges (approximately 30 mins) and can fly again. The Dock station used in this trial is the DJI Dock  

The use cases at the Rio Tinto Gudai-Darri site have been hugely varied and include:

- 3D survey mapping and updating of 3D pit models

- Panoramas of the pit and wider site

- Video inspections

- Drill and blast post-blast capture

- Inspections on berms and pit-walls.

Remote drone operations are able to improve safety on site by removing people out of the live pit environment and because the SurveyBot can perform a variety of tasks, fewer drones are needed in the air, making the airspace safer too.

The SurveyBot allows for the automation of the data capture element, giving operators on the ground more time for data analysis and decision-making. Essentially, it allows the robots do the dangerous work and lets the humans make the final decisions.

Productivity and safety go hand in hand with remote dock operations - with less people going into the pit, but more output achieved per flight.