The new system is designed to remove people from the highwall environment and eliminate the need for manual handling of explosives and deployment equipment by transferring the task to a remotely operated control room, reducing human exposure to critical operational risks.
Built on Jevons Robotics’ one-tonne modular ARTEV1000 platform, the system combines automated blast-hole location, packaged explosive deployment and in-hole retention into a single automated process.
The system autonomously locates and aligns with the blast hole before deploying and retaining the pre-split explosive product at the required position.
When not configured for pre-split loading, the modular platform can be deployed with the Jevons Robotics’ automated hole-dipping and blast-hole quality-assurance system, increasing equipment utilisation across the drill-and-blast cycle. Allowing remote blast hole condition insights to be delivered autonomously into the customers chosen blasting software suite.
Jevons Robotics CEO Todd Peate said the deployment at Newmont’s Boddington operation represents an important milestone for the company.
“We are proud that Newmont’s Boddington operation will become the first global deployment of this new system. It provides a strong foundation for introducing this capability to mining operations internationally and reinforces our strategy of eliminating human exposure to high-risk activities.”
Mr Peate said “Our objective is not simply to introduce another piece of equipment. It is to redesign the task so that people no longer need to enter the hazardous area to complete it.”
Newmont joins Dyno Nobel, Orica and other global mining companies in Jevons Robotics’ growing portfolio of customers focused on reducing exposure to high-risk activities.
In addition to reducing personnel exposure, the ARTEV platform architecture is designed to support more consistent task execution, remote operations, reduced reliance on specialised on-bench labour, and improved equipment utilisation. Its battery-electric design also eliminates diesel emissions at the point of operation.
The ARTEV1000 Pre-Split System has been developed as part of an expanding payload ecosystem. The common robotic platform can be configured for multiple applications, allowing customers to deploy additional capabilities without requiring an entirely new vehicle for every task.
This modular approach is designed to provide mining operations with greater flexibility while supporting Jevons Robotics’ broader objective of automating high-risk activities across the drill-and-blast cycle.