Find out where mining companies and technology suppliers come together to discuss the challenges and available technologies at top industry conferences. You can also discover how companies are using data to optimize tire selection and increase productivity, as well as how wind energy is being harnessed to power mining operations. Listen to the opinions of our experts on this topic: Frik Els, Andrew Petruska, and Chris Roadhes.
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Frik Els -
Andrew Petruska -
Chris Rhoades
- Robots come in all sizes from nanometers to 10’s of meters.
- Over ten billion tons have been moved using autonomous haul trucks.
In this series
Frik Els is the executive editor of MINING.COM, the world’s premier source of news and opinion on mining and metals with a weekly readership of more than 200,000 industry professionals across the world.
Frik has focused his writing and public engagements on the green energy transition and the raw materials needed to meet climate goals and combat global warming. He created the EV Metal Index providing insights into the greatest disruption to the auto and extractive industries in a century.
Dr. Andrew Jacob Petruska is currently a tenured Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Robotics Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, that he joined in 2016.
Awarded an NSF IGERT Traineeship during his PHD to study noncontact magnetic manipulation, he developed the first real-time reconfigurable magnetic manipulation system.
His current research focus has pivoted to perception, state estimation, and control in GPS denied environments for applications ranging from underground mining, search for rescue, and on-orbit manufacturing, to lunar construction, navigation and mining.
With a family tradition in the OTR sector that goes back to 155 years ago, Chris Rhoades started his career by working on tire tracking programs.
He then joined BKT in 1999 as Senior Product Manager, Technical Solutions, and used his expertise to develop a new technology: SPOTech. It is a cutting-edge monitoring system that collects data on haul truck activities by means of GPS systems, GoPro cameras and accelerometers for improving productivity, efficiency, and operating conditions within mining sites or quarries.
With 24 years’ experience in BKT, he is now BKT Tires' US Vice-President for OTR. He's passionate about partnering with customers and dealers to leverage solutions to reduce their total cost of ownership.
