We currently live in a world shaped by technology and its constant changes with hardware and software that adapt to specific users that help improve processes, why unmanned aircraft were created, which today is modern technology. applications in the development that for its range of compatibility makes feasible the support with other systems. This is how in the area of work inside information. This article focuses on putting the manifest on the usefulness of drone technology in the mining area. In this same sense, this field includes information on the operation and use of drones in this field.
Currently drones are a modern technology, and there are many companies that ofer aerial
services by drone, with one of the main features being the audiovisuals that work with video
cameras. This technological advance makes its size, availability and low risk for people become
an option to reach places of dificult access, at a low cost which gives an advantage to mining
companies [
Drones have multiple functions in which they are based on diagnosing captures that they
collect through coordinates that serve to perform locations, reserve calculations, among other
functions [
There are very useful applications that serve us with the help of drones, but also some people
do not understand the purpose for which this technology was created. Thus, the first indications
appear in 1849 when two hundred hot air balloons were placed in an attack of the Austrian
troops to the city of Venice [
This article aims to analyze how aerial devices can help us in everyday life, giving reason to the potential they bring to the field of mining, making feasible the use of this technology, so this article will detail basic concepts that specifically indicate the features and kinds of drones that exist, as well as how these devices help us to solve and optimize processes required in very common areas such as civil engineering derived from mining.
The technological advancement of drones benefited the mining industry and positively
transformed operations by providing real-time data. Drones allow the identification and mitigation
of mining hazards as they emerge, rapid collection of data in risky locations and the ability
to share accurate maps and models immediately with stakeholders [
A new concept of mining 4.0 has came up and it includes artificial intelligence, internet
of things, cloud analytics, and cognitive computing. Usage of drones in the mining industry
has peaked at a fast rate in surface and underground mines due to their cheaper and more
eficient data collection abilities compared to the traditional techniques [
In open-pit mines, optimization of slope angle has an important role in production cost
reduction, mine eficiency, and recycling resources (DJI-The World Leader in Camera Drones,
2021). Xiang et al. [
Drones or Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) are unmanned aerial vehicles that allow the
collection of a large amount of data with very low cost of money and time [
Drones focus its work in diferent areas, such as the educational, industrial and legislative ifeld, and mainly we focus on the specific field of this article that it is the mining area. From all these areas, drones allow to expand its branch of functionality so that it can be useful and be an important device (see Figure 1).
Depending on the defined mission, drones are generally classified based upon their
configurations. Drones can be grouped into nine categories, such as fixed-wing, flapping wing,
rotary-wing, tilt-rotor, ducted fan, helicopter, ornithopter, and unconventional types [
One of the main features is the autonomy of flight, which is inferior to the previous ones,
with the only diference that this type of drone is maneuverability, being much greater in small
spaces, as well as spatial, giving it an utility in complex areas where there is vertical work. The
camera’s controlled through a gimbal support that allows its rotation, facilitating the taking of
images, thanks to the combination with the rotation of the aircraft on a fixed point [
Mixed-wing aircraft are larger and present the benefits and limitations of a system that combines ifxed wing and rotors.
Drones have multiple capabilities to obtain physical conditions due to their weight and size, and according to this it is possible to implement the types of sensors according to their load (see
This type of flight allows to have a remote control exclusively destined to these flights, since it allows to perform maneuvers that propel some type of specific skill.
This type of drone allows to navigate in order to provide images collected through various points captured by the integrated camera.
In order to be able to maneuver unmanned vehicles, such as drones, some relevant aspects or points should be considered according to the Colombia web portal: • Having a course in Civil Aeronautics. • The pilot cannot operate two simultaneous flights.
• he pilot must not be in a state of drunkenness.
The use of drones is common in several countries, since their commercial production is very high, and that is why there are discussions in which the aspects or factors the governments are mainly focused, such as privacy and protection of information and security [16].
Privacy and protection of information. Here the ethics of the professionals involved in the use of these devices, since information is collected according to the interest of the authorities, and these in turn, are at risk of being manipulated [17].
Security. Here intervenes the integration of forms of protection to the RPAS device, so that it avoids having any accident in the airspace while it is in operation [17, 18].
Drones undoubtedly contain advanced technology, which are abstracted by kinds of components needed for the respective operation of the RPAS, such components contain timely information that requires practical aspects such as: • Detection and control systems. - Drones today contain sensors that detect objects around them to avoid collisions. These devices are according to the technology that has implemented, and according to it, varies the price of trade. • Communication systems. - It is essential that the RPAS contain a communication system through radiofrequency that scans and broadcasts information through satellites, where they transmit the communication in urban areas.
rones as such are versatile in terms of the installations that are made in the predefined attachments in some devices, among which cameras, microphones and sensors stand out [17].
Some of these unmanned vehicles are fundamental for some areas such as: • Agriculture: in this field it is useful to collect information about the crops grown. • Audiovisual promotion: it is characterized by capturing aerial images. • Security: in the field of surveillance in some companies. • Education: it is used for topographic analysis.
On the other hand, there are several investigations that highlight the great usefulness of these devices as evidenced by a work done with drones for photogrammetric and 3D modeling application, in a gray granite mine with which geological and topographic cartographic plans were elaborated [19]. In the same way the drones have been used as a tool for detection and alert of possible illegal mining areas in Colombia, through its cameras and a pattern recognition algorithm [20, 21].
According to the provisions of the Civil Aviation Law in article 6, numeral 3, paragraph (a), the following regulations are mentioned:
"Dictate, reform, repeal technical regulations, orders, internal regulations and complementary provisions of civil aviation, in accordance with this Law, the Aeronautical Code,the Convention on International Civil Aviation and those necessary for flight safety and the protection of air transport safety".
These measures are directed to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), since it has the function of competent authority, it carries a responsibility to issue regulations according to the safeguarding of the population in general.
The revolution that currently exists within a technological field is completely abysmal, allowing the use of technology for diferent use of its applications and adaptation to the mining sector, granting greater security and sustainability to workers when making studies of new mining reserves and raw material supply.
Within one of its main applications of unmanned drones in the mining sector, is to replace the man to safeguard his life within the mining activities, allowing in turn to have an automation, to carry out operations quickly without so much human interaction.
In addition, with the implementation of this technology will allow to have more accurate data such as: recognition of the mine, operation planning and terrain stability, giving usability to the features that the drone has due to its sensors that will detect the characteristics of the environment, and mediating algorithms in a systematized way for image processing [22], obtaining information.
Consuming all this resource that they currently provide us, the issue of applications in the mining field would be transformed to a digital mining, through reliable communications, remote control in operations and able to manage diferent types of services at the same time.
With all this, and once the specific needs of mining have been studied, the potential
applications of drones are [
In this way, it can be established that the use of technology is in full development, and it is
necessary to acquire these resources for future applications that will come to be made with
unmanned vehicles within the mining field, allowing to obtain better accuracy, eficiency and
environmental sustainability [
Through this project, it was detailed and analyzed what a drone is, as well as its features, kinds and how it helps in the field of civil engineering and in the mining area, with its diferent applications. The help of these devices allows us to perform versatile works where it is obtained to simplify the classic methods of collecting information, be this to capture, analyze and process data that was obtained.
Having said the above, it is concluded that this type of technology is very useful in the fields of all areas that may exist. Its purpose is to obtain and collect accurate, eficient and sustainable information. [15] S. Planning, D. LLC., 40 uses of drones. practical applications for unmanned aerial vehicles, aviationplanning.design.blog/unmanned-aircraft-systems/, ???? [16] O. A. Fonseca-Herrera, A. E. Rojas, H. Florez, Model of an information security management system based on ntc-iso/iec 27001 standard, IAENG International Journal of Computer Science 48 (2021). [17] M. Ocampo, C. Santa Catarina, Uso de drones: retos y oportunidades, 2018. [18] L. Wanumen, J. Moreno, H. Florez, Mobile based approach for accident reporting, in:
International Conference on Technology Trends, Springer, 2018, pp. 302–311. [19] S. Guerrero, M. Faraone, R. Carrión, Aplicación de fotogrametría y modelación 3d en geología y minería; el granito de cufré., Revista Investigaciones DINAMIGE-MIEM (2018). [20] N. Buitrago Castaño, et al., Sistema de detección y alerta de posibles zonas de minería ilegal utilizando drones y aplicaciones M2M, Thesis, Uniandes, 2018. [21] C. Yinka-Banjo, O. Daniel, S. Misra, O. Jonathan, H. Florez, Comparative analysis of three obstacle detection and avoidance algorithms for a compact diferential drive robot in v-rep, in: International Conference on Applied Informatics, Springer, 2019, pp. 357–369. [22] F. Velosa, H. Florez, Edge solution with machine learning and open data to interpret signs for people with visual disability., in: ICAI Workshops, 2020, pp. 15–26. [23] R. del Barrio Tajadura, Uso de drones en la inspección para la rehabilitación del patrimonio: iglesia de la Merced de Burgos, Ph.D. thesis, Universidad de Burgos, 2017.