When we think about mining in the USA, we can’t help but think about the gruesome, exhausting work our men had to endure down in the mines. Tiring, claustrophobic, and extremely dangerous. With the advent of other sources of energy, the US population is quick to discard the whole coal industry. However, the very same technology that threatens to destroy the job market might actually make the coal mining industry efficient and more profitable again.
“Something new, something old”
We are not talking about sending humanoid robots down the mines—although it could be possible—but retrofitting old equipment with artificial intelligence that would make the processing much faster. At least that’s what Myles Recny, the co-founder of Realm Alliance, a Texas-based AI software company, says.
Artificial intelligence has the ability to fine-tune the froth flotation method used to wash coal at prep plants, monitoring bubble dimensions, flow patterns, and chemical mixes in a way that goes beyond human ability. Speaking from London to the Cowboy State Daily, Recny explained that a person obviously isn’t going to sit there tallying up thousands of bubbles by size every fraction of a second, but that’s exactly the kind of task AI can handle.
This tech isn’t made-up sci-fi stuff. Realm Alliance is already installing these AI systems in Alabama coal mines, and Recny considers Wyoming’s operations a perfect match.
Adapting to the already existing infrastructure
The main point, according to Recny, is that mining companies don’t have to swap out their entire infrastructure to get the benefits of artificial intelligence. They can just improve the gear they already own. Recny mentioned that it is possible to automate current machines by adding artificial intelligence and integrating systems. He added that even if you want an upgrade, you don’t need to replace every single piece of equipment.
Basically, coal companies can add intelligence to the equipment they already own. This involves hooking AI up to the cameras currently in use to track safety rule adherence, look out for jams on the belts, and notice when machinery is starting to fail.
For instance, a camera pointed at a belt can identify debris and kill the power automatically so nothing gets broken. Recny noted that another camera can spot when an employee isn’t wearing the right safety gear.
Making up for the labour shortage
He insisted they aren’t trying to push humans out of the coal industry. Instead, they are dealing with the hard truth that there are fewer people available to do these jobs. AI steps in to pick up the slack since they can’t find enough new workers to hire.
He pointed out that just improving the flotation cells could boost coal output by 2% to 5%. That means recovering millions of dollars in revenue from coal that used to just get washed away as garbage.
Other sectors are also taking advantage of artificial intelligence
Discussions around robots in the energy and mining fields got a fresh boost this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Hyundai and its subsidiary Boston Dynamics revealed a massive new strategy for AI robotics.
Their demo showed off Atlas, a humanoid robot powered by artificial intelligence that is built to handle boring, repetitive chores in warehouses and factories. Boston Dynamics already has its four-legged robot, Spot, working at energy sites around the globe, like on BP rigs in the Gulf of Mexico where it checks gauges, looks for rust, and sniffs out methane leaks.
Hyundai stated they plan to push robot tech further into areas like shipping, energy, construction, and building maintenance. Different companies also displayed robots built expressly for energy-related jobs.
DEEP Robotics, a company out of China, showed off its Jueying X30 model, which has become a frontrunner in the global energy inspection game thanks to self-driving tech that can pinpoint its location indoors down to the centimeter.
Recently, the group put a robot dubbed “SPock” to work patrolling parts of a 40-kilometer underground power tunnel in Singapore, marking the first time a Chinese four-legged robot has been used in a power system abroad.