Epiroc will bundle its Mobius mining machine control and 3D-P wireless networking technologies in with five robotic production drills supplied to Canadian gold miner IAMGOLD at its US$1.3 billion Cote openpit project in Ontario, Canada, which is due to start production next year.
Swedish equipment manufacturer Epiroc says Mobius for Drills is a digitalisation tool that imports drill plans and collects key data for mining personnel while enabling multi-machine control.
Cote Gold operations manager Francis Letarte-Lavoie said IAMGOLD aimed to operate Canada’s first fully automated haulage and drilling mine at Cote.
“The existing four [Epiroc] Pit Viper rigs are progressing towards full autonomous mode, and we anticipate the fifth drill set for delivery in April 2024 will complete the fleet successfully,” Letarte-Lavoie said.