Following five years of research and development, Dyno Nobel, a company specializing in commercial explosives, has unveiled its new autonomous blasting system.
Workers currently perform multiple tasks manually inside of mining blast zones. These tasks range from clearing debris, to guiding drill rigs and measuring hole depths. Dirk Van Soelen, Dyno Nobel’s chief technology officer, says the new technology is designed to autonomously coordinate all these processes from a single control centre.
“We know that safer and more consistent blasts lead to better extraction,” said Van Soelen in a Wednesday news release. “For a world hungry for critical minerals, the productivity and safety benefits that come from being able to deliver the full blasting process autonomously could not come at a better time.”
A prototype of the system will be trialed at Mariana Minerals’ Copper One site, an operating copper mine and refinery. Located in southeastern Utah, Copper One calls itself an ‘autonomy-first’ site. Mariana deploys software solutions with the intention of helping expand autonomous mining technology industry-wide.
“Our goal at Copper One is end-to-end mining and processing autonomy, and blasting sits right at the start of that chain,” said Juan Lozano, Mariana Minerals’ co-founder. Alongside the trial, Mariana will integrate its operation system with Dyno Nobel’s technology.
More trials will take place, starting in the U.S., with other countries to follow. Dyno Nobel says it will release the new technology through a staged roll-out that will finish mid-2027.
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