UNDERGROUND MINE INSPECTION ROBOT - THE ADR DROPBEAR

The Dropbear was developed specifically for the remote inspection of underground hardrock mines.
Having trialled a number of other products over many years, our team decided that there was nothing out there that satisfied the demands of an underground environment. Evolving over a decade of trial and error, through many iterations, we believe the Dropbear is the most robust, most versatile Telepresence device available in the mining industry today. We designed the Dropbear from the ground up to be shock, dust and water resistant. In the rare event that someone drives an IT tyne through the robots 3mm steel shell, the military grade lithium sulphate battery will not catch fire or explode. All mission critical components are fitted on shock isolation mounts.
The main concept of the robot was to provide a reliable capability using mainly lower cost off-the-shelf components. Given that the driver for the robot was the inspection of areas that are inaccessible to humans due to safety reasons, there was a requirement for a high reliability of communications and mobility as well as a requirement to keep the cost down should something happen and the robot was unable to be recovered.
We think we have achieved this outcome.
The dropbear can be used in areas where a wireless network is already available or a temporary wireless network can be established using the Explora mobile WiFi nodes. These devices which are much lower cost than the Dropbear are remotely driven into the target area and mesh with each other to provide a continuous wireless network. The Dropbear then connects to this network and can be driven remotely anywhere where the network is established. By using the much cheaper nodes to establish the network, the operator can be sure that reliable communications is available before sending in the Dropbear.
The Dropbear is fitted with a powerful, full high definition zoom camera and lighting system that provides detailed imagery up to 30 metres from the robot. This makes it ideal for inspecting open stopes and drawpoints. As the robot runs a normal IP network, any Ethernet sensors such as laser scanners, gas monitors, cameras, etc can be easily integrated and remotely controlled via the network.
We’re happy to discuss your application and how the Dropbear could increase safety and save you time.
Intended uses include:
• Drawpoint and Hangup inspection
• Survey after seismic events
• Survey of old workings
• Post blasting clearance
• Laser scanning