Worker mobility tools in Mining – The smart thing to do

Author: John Munson Schneider Electric Blog

I started wearing a smart fitness watch recently so I could track some of my running more easily than by carrying my iPhone.  Not that I am a world class runner by any means.  Let me be clear.  I am not a runner like the people I admire who do marathons and half-marathons.  I really just jog and do the occasional 5k.

And now that I’ve had my watch for a while I’ve found out just how smart it really is.  Not only does it track my meagre short-distance runs – distance, speed, pace, heart rate etc., all the things you’d expect.  It also tracks my sleep patterns so I know how much sleep I am getting, and even how much deep sleep versus light sleep I get.  It tracks my steps each day and gives me goals that vary based on my history for each day of the week.  More on weekends when I’m more active, less during the week when I’m slaving away at my desk all day.  I get notices and alerts for mail and phone calls.  It even tells me to get up and walk around for just a few minutes throughout the day to avoid prolonged inactivity, an unhealthy behavior that is very simply remedied, as long as I pay attention to that little buzzing signal on my wrist.

Digital mobile technologies like this are becoming ubiquitous and they can be found everywhere these days.  They make us more aware of our daily habits and routines in ways that help us to be better.  To be healthier.  To sleep better.  To be more aware of things so we can make more informed choices and decisions.

And the same thing is happening in the resources industry.  Despite the advances of autonomous vehicles and remote operations centers, you still need boots on the ground to perform a huge amount of the work at an actual mine site.  And mobile digital technologies are helping workers perform it more safely and more efficiently.

Take augmented reality for example (AR).  You might have someone inspecting a machine in a very remote part of an operation.  By using a tablet with a special AR app, the technician can simply view it through the camera and get connected to it in real-time.  Superimposed on the screen you get all the normal operating parameters

as well as any alerts or warnings if something is out of spec.  Then it can bring up the necessary diagnostic procedures in order to make any immediate adjustments to get everything back into spec.  This video on Augmented Operator Advisor demonstrates exactly how it works.

That’s just one example, but if you’re interested in learning more about the mobile technologies that will enable current and future generation of workers, please join us for a webinar we’ll be presenting on July 10^th.  If you can’t join live, register anyway and watch the recording later on at your convenience.

I have to go now.  My watch says I have to take a walk…

WEBINAR DETAILS: Two sessions available/ July 10^th at 8AM or 9PM EDT.

1. Tuesday, July 10^th at 8:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time (New York/ Boston) https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1771683/B7E92A511535DFCD5538035F32F7FE45
2. Tuesday, July 10^th at 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (New York/ Boston) https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1771674/DE4418449D1DAD2D56F7E874AC82BA30