Closing the loop - Why remote data acquisition is the key to the future of mining

Join the Perth Branch for their November tech talk: Closing the loop - Why remote data acquisition is the key to the future of mining.

About this event

The global mining industry is at a critical juncture: deposits are becoming deeper, lower-grade, and more remote, while demand for renewable energy minerals is soaring. This complexity, combined with rising ESG pressure and an acute skills shortage, demands a shift towards data-driven sustainability and profitability.

This technical talk will explore the urgent business case for transitioning from traditional, human-centred inspection to automated, remote data acquisition. Current manual inspections are not only costly (estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars per week in lost production) but also expose personnel to hazards and are prone to error.

The presenter Joe Cronin will detail how innovative, sensor-rich robotic platforms revolutionise this paradigm. These systems enable data capture to be scheduled during production from a central control centre, eliminating the need for personnel in hazardous zones and recovering significant lost production time.

Joe will also address the "Great Unknown"—the immense, untapped value that this continuous, high-fidelity data unlocks, delivering insights that allow us to manage risks and mine with less uncertainty. This revolution in data capture is projected to deliver significantly more value than current inspection activities, empowering mine operators with the real-time insights required for enhanced productivity, safety, and compliance in the era of Zero Entry Mining.

Speaker/s

Joe Cronin

BE (Mech) PhD MBA FAusIMM

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Dr. Joe Cronin is a pioneer of automated production, with foundational expertise in the defence and aerospace industries. His early work with the U.S. Bomb Disposal team at Picatinny Arsenal established his understanding of risk mitigation using remote systems, but it was in the mining industry where he coined the term "Safety by Separation”, a concept he champions as an essential new control in the safety hierarchy.

Dr. Cronin established his mining expertise in the Canadian coal fields, where he delivered automated explosives charging systems for Orica. He then led the industry-defining LHD Automation program at Rio Tinto’s Northparkes Mines in 2013, creating a best-in-class example of low-cost, continuous underground production.

Frustrated by the mandatory production shutdowns required for human inspections, Dr. Cronin founded Australian Droid & Robot (ADR). Born a kilometre underground, ADR is the product of a seven-year intensive journey to develop the rugged, persistent robotic systems necessary for remote data acquisition in harsh hard rock environments. Having executed mining automation projects globally, Dr. Cronin’s passion for change has led one manager to describe him as a "polarising and disruptive influence in the industry", a badge he wears with pride. His contribution to Australian mining was officially recognised when he was awarded the 2025 AusIMM Mining Society Award for Excellence, a first for a robotics engineer.