Main findings for robotics in the resources sector

The resources sector has an important role to play in sharing knowledge of world-leading automation with other sectors of the Australian economy. Important drivers for robotics in the resources sector include safety, productivity and overcoming the challenges of operating in remote and harsh conditions at scale. The provision of remote services is an area where Australia can arguably lead the world and can have important spill-over effects into areas such as the delivery of medical services to remote and disadvantaged Australian communities. A focus on robotics in the future will see the resources and related METS sector continue to advance, with Australia acting as an ideal testbed for advanced autonomous mining equipment. Key opportunities in the future are the reduced price and scale of robotic solutions aiming towards on-demand and in-situ human-less mining and mineral processing.