Exyn Technologies, in partnership with Sandvik, deploys autonomous aerial drone missions with Exyn real-time visualization for mining excursions
PDAC – March 8, 2021 — Exyn Technologies (https://www.exyn.com), a pioneer in autonomous aerial robot systems for complex, GPS-denied industrial environments, today announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to integrate Exyn’s data into Sandvik’s analytics and process optimization suite, OptiMine®.
By synthesizing critical data and capabilities, Exyn and Sandvik are helping mining customers transform their underground operations to be safer, more productive, and more efficient. Using Exyn’s industrial-grade autonomous drone, ExynAero, mining companies can harness completely pilotless flight to access impossible-to-reach data with maximum safety. The data collected is processed using Exyn’s onboard 3D mapping technology -- powered by ExynAI -- which is then integrated with Sandvik’s OptiMine® Mine Visualizer solution for analysis and optimization of underground mining production and process.
The partnership allows mining customers to benefit from comprehensive underground aerial 3D mapping with progressive visualization that increases overall transparency of mining operations -- including for GPS-denied, hard-to-reach, or hazardous areas, or locations that would be time-consuming to survey and inspect using conventional methods.
Exyn and Sandvik deployed this integrated solution with gold exploration and development company Rupert Resources, using the ExynAero drone to autonomously create a 3D point cloud of an underground stope. This 3D data was then uploaded to Sandvik's OptiMine® Mine Visualizer and georeferenced to the CAD mine model for further analysis and visualization.
“This step in our partnership with Exyn is critical. Our teams have been working closely together to ensure the connection between Exyn and Sandvik’s systems would be seamless and easy for operators to use. When this feature gets rolled out to the market as part of OptiMine®, it will allow our customers to analyze Exyn’s high-resolution, aerial maps in OptiMine®. After this demonstration, we look forward to further developing our partnership and integrating our hardware and software systems in the coming months.” says David Hallett, Vice President, Business Unit Automation, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.
“We’re very proud to expand our partnership with Sandvik and to deliver the key benefits of safety and operational efficiency to all the humans involved in the mining industry. By offering world-class software and technology, we have given customers the ability to map areas underground they could never before reach. Our end goal is to be an integral part of fully autonomous mining operations and I’m confident that through our partnership with Sandvik, we’re one step closer,” says Nader Elm, CEO and Co-Founder of Exyn Technologies.
Exyn and Sandvik are leading the charge to help modernize the mining industry through fully autonomous operations, with more product integrations in the plans. Their joint commitment to prioritizing safety and productivity in mining operations is backed by decades of combined experience creating leading-edge digital mining and autonomous aerial robotic technologies.
To learn more about Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, visit https://www.rocktechnology.sandvik
Exyn Technologies is pioneering autonomous aerial robot systems for complex, GPS-denied environments. The company’s full-stack solution enables flexible deployment of single or multi-robots that can intelligently navigate and dynamically adapt to complex environments in real-time. For the first time, industries like mining, logistics, and construction can benefit from a single, integrated solution to capture critical and time-sensitive data in a safer, more affordable, and more efficient way. Exyn is powered by a team of experts in autonomous systems, robotics, and industrial engineering, and is a spin-out of the University of Pennsylvania's world-renowned GRASP Laboratory. The company is VC-backed and privately held, with headquarters in Philadelphia. For more information, please visit www.exyn.com.
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is a business area within the Sandvik Group and a global leading supplier of equipment and tools, parts, service and technical solutions for the mining and construction industries. Application areas include rock drilling, rock cutting, loading and hauling, tunneling and quarrying. In 2020, sales were approximately 37 billion SEK with about 12,500 employees within continuing operations.