Opportunities for the Application of Augmented Reality in Mining and Minerals Processing

Paper in proceeding, 2020

The mining and minerals processing industry is gradually being digitalized to improve efficiency and reduce waste. One aspect of this transition is to ensure that relevant process-data in sufficient quality and quantity is given to the operator in the right format and at the right time to improve decision-making. Augmented Reality (AR) can serve as a potential ICT-based support tool for human operators to achieve this goal. With AR, virtual information is combined with the real world in real-time. Thus, AR technology holds potential for fulfilling the need for improved data visualization in Industry 4.0. This article is the result of a collaborative effort of Chalmers University of Technology and RWTH Aachen University to identify selected state-of-the-art applications of AR that are currently being applied in the mining and minerals industry or selected related industries. This article aims at showing opportunities for the application of AR in the mining and mineral processing industry with selected conceptual applications. This article concludes with several requirements identified as necessary to implement the conceptual applications of AR in the mining and minerals industry.