China uses robots for risky missions in 370 mines

According to the statement from the China Coal and Industry Association, the use of robots in the field of digital transformation in mines has become widespread in recent years in China, the world’s largest coal producer.

Currently in use at more than 370 mines, the robots are used in 31 different tasks, including crime scene investigation, cooling, drilling, firefighting, and search and rescue. With the increase in the use of robots in the country’s mines since 2016, the number of personnel working in risk tasks has decreased by 370,000.

THE NUMBER OF TASKS WILL EXCEED 100

Institutions such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Mine Safety Supervision Administration published a “Robot+ Implementation Action Plan” in January. According to the plan, the number of tasks performed by robots in major industrial branches is targeted to exceed 100 by 2025.

According to data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the country’s coal production increased 9 percent last year compared with the previous year and reached 4.5 billion tons. There are a total of 4,400 coal mines in China, mainly in Shanxi, Shaanshi, Guicou provinces, and Xinjiang Uyghur and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions. (AA)