Analysis of experience in the use of unmanned technologies in open pit mining and prospects for their development

Russia possesses many mineral dep osits which are difficult for mining because of their location in harsh climatic and geological conditions. Operations in such areas face the problems connected with attraction of qualified personnel in mines, and with the elevated cost of the mining process, which creates the need to reduce the cost of a mineral. One of successful methods already implemented at a number of mines with a view to solving these problems is introduction of robotic equipment at open pits, which allows minimizing human participation in hazardous production operations. The unmanned technology not only contributes to dealing with personnel issues, but also brings changes in mining systems, which has a positive effect on productivity of machinery, as well as can reduce environmental impact of mining activities. The use of unmanned machines, due to reduction of some operating costs, reduces the cost of mining and transportation of rocks. This article considers the advantages of the unmanned technology application at the deposits developed by openpit mining systems. The influence of the unmanned technology on the parameters of mining systems is studied. It is shown that the use of robotic equipment can influence beneficially technical, economic, social and environmental indicators, which will enhance efficiency of a mine. Possible problems in integration of the unmanned technology in the mining process are formulated and the ways of their solution are proposed. The world and domestic experience of the unmanned technology application in mine fields is analyzed. The characteristics of unmanned dump truck models from a number of mining machinery manufacturers are studied. The trends in development of the unmanned technology market are predicted.