FURA Gems has announced a partnership with India-based Cognecto to improve operational efficiency, sustainability, productivity and decrease the carbon footprint of its Australian mining operation. Cognecto, which calls itself India's leading artificial intelligence-based heavy equipment monitoring company, has deployed an integrated custom-built hardware sensor and remote telemetry data protocol for FURA to share the data from its Sapphire mining operations in Queensland to company headquarters in Dubai. This collaborative effort forges a solution combining heavy equipment monitoring and analytics to empower operational visibility and control wherever and whenever, according to Cognecto. In addition, FURA employees can access real-time fleet updates via a "well-integrated, easy-to-implement, and zero-tech footprint AI platform created by Cognecto to improve operational conditions and enhances safety", it said. Operational insights for real-time tracking are delivered using a web interface, while the alerts can be relayed on any commonly used messaging platform.

LKAB, Minalyze AB and Sentian say they have joined forces in a consortium to develop the latest technology for scanning drill core. In March 2020, LKAB started a test with the Minalyzer CS drill core scanner where the goal was to improve the workflow for core logging – ie how the results of exploration drilling are analysed. The test led to a permanent installation in Kiruna (Sweden) and expansion to Malmberget where data from the Minalyzer CS is used to help geological logging of the drill core. The consortium of LKAB, Minalyze and Sentian are now set to take the use of data to the next level when boreholes in LKAB's deposits are to be investigated. The new artificial intelligence application being developed by the trio will make the analysis much faster, with the time to evaluate a drill core reduced from weeks to minutes, with increased accuracy.

After carrying out a successful pilot at its Bagdad copper operation, Freeport McMoRan says it is rolling out a program across its North America and South America mines involving the use of data science, machine learning and integrated functional teams. The program, aimed at addressing bottlenecks, providing cost benefits and driving improved overall performance, was announced in its December quarter results this week. It said: "During 2019, FCX (Freeport) advanced initiatives in its North America and South America mining operations to enhance productivity, expand margins and reduce the capital intensity of the business through the utilisation of new technology applications in combination with a more interactive operating structure." It said the Bagdad mine (Arizona, USA) pilot program, initiated in late 2018, was "highly successful" in utilising these innovative technologies and it would build on this for the implementation across its other mines in North and South America. According to a report in the Financial Times, the system at Bagdad found that the mine was producing seven distinct types of ore and that the processing method, which involves flotation, could be adjusted to recover more copper by adjusting the PH level.

Newcrest Mining has deployed Microsoft cloud, AI and IoT technologies at Australia's largest underground, block cave mine to monitor and manage crushed ore bin levels. The soft sensor delivered a return in investment within the first three months of operation. The technology, developed by Newcrest in association with Microsoft and its partner Insight Enterprises, has been rolled out at Newcrest's Cadia Valley gold mine in NSW. The challenge facing Newcrest at Cadia was managing the levels in the underground crushed ore bins. If the bins overfill, they have to be manually emptied introducing lengthy and expensive production delays.

Zyfra says it has developed an automated system using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the condition of excavator bucket teeth based on its machine vision BucketControl system. The system is designed to detect the presence or absence of excavator bucket crowns quickly and features functions to alert the excavator operator if a crown is lost or ceases to work. The application, developed jointly by the AI and Mining divisions of Zyfra, uses an on-board controller to acquire images from the camera, process and analyse them using internal software and sends a signal to the operator if a crown is lost or ceases to work. The wear of the tooth is also assessed, and when a critical value is reached, a notification is sent to the dispatcher, according to the company. This data is transmitted to the server in real time, Zyfra added.