Unlocking the potentiality of UAVs in MiningIndustry and its Implications

Technology plays a key role in shaping the future of mining industry. Number of technologies is debated nowadays and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), so-called Drones, is one among them which is picking faster. UAVs are systems for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and are powered aerial vehicles with no human operator on board and can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely with expendable or recoverable and can carry surveillance equipment. UAVs are smaller than manned aircraft and can carry cameras, sensors, communications equipment. For next generation technologies, UAVs can transform across multiple segments like defence, communications, aviation, health, agriculture, transportation, remote sensing, oil, gas and mining industry. For mining industry drones are relatively new and presently limited applications of drones are known in the mining space. Their uses are somewhat restricted to capturing terrain/outcrops photos from multiple angles. But plenty of space exists for drone technology in mining prolonging from productivity to safety and security areas. In this paper, an attempt has been made to unlock the potentiality of UAVs in mining industry and its implication towards „Future of Mining”.