Over recent years, we have witnessed drone technology advancements push aside the traditional methods of mine monitoring and surveying. Drones have become increasingly popular in support of mining applications with exploration, surveying and mapping. Australia and Africa have led the way in adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across their mining industries to maintain safety, increase oversight and enhance security. Uses Of Drones In Mining Most large mine sites in Australia in 2020 now have a couple of roustabout drones on site and a couple of trained, licensed pilots to deploy the drones at short notice to critical equipment, mapping or production challenges onsite. The most popular uses of drones in mining applications include: Stockpile management: The volume
2D machine control (angle sensors, laser receivers, sonic trackers, etc) is where machine control started around 40 years ago and it is still the backbone of everything we do today in 3D machine control with GPS “A large percentage of applications are still powered by 2D machine control at heart, whether that be grading a slope on a motor grader with Topcon System 5 or digging a building pad on an excavator with iDig,” said Joel Seddon, Construction Business Manager, Aptella. “After all these years, the 2D world is still a gateway into machine control for so many and will continue to be so for years to come.” No matter how big or small your next project, Aptella
In the world of survey drones, major technological advancements have occurred over recent years. We have seen surges in payloads, aerial surveying capability, flight duration, flight distances and user operation technology Drones are essentially an aircraft that doesn’t have a human pilot onboard, instead, they are controlled by an autonomous onboard computer or an operator who is stationed on land. It is also common for most surveying UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) drones to be equipped with VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) capabilities – as a matter of course in 2020. What is the Difference between VTOL and UAV in Aerial Surveying? We distinguish some drones used for aerial surveying as VTOL and some as standard UAV. It is
We classify our drones as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which are aircraft without a human pilot onboard. This is the overall category of drone survey and geospatial equipment, which includes a range of different aircraft used for different survey purposes Within the UAV category of survey equipment is the latest flying and launching technology – referred to as V.T.O.L – which means an unmanned aircraft that has a Vertical Take Off and Landing. We talk more about VTOL and VTOL payload over here on this blog: Click here to read about VTOL Payload. This article dives deep into the different types of drones that are on the market today or about to be released – Aptella offer a
A guide to choosing the right technology, that’s backed by the right level of expertise Positioning technology is a broad term that encompasses a lot of different options for the civil contractor. With so much choice, including factory fit options from machine manufacturers, aftermarket options by different technology companies and various terms and descriptions that are not used consistently across the industry, it can become a mine field to uncover the right fit for your project. The top 3: Lasers, GPS and Total Stations In its simplest form, positioning technology is anything that assists machine operators, surveyors, engineers and project managers to match the physical landscape or structure to the digital (or, gasp! paper-based) project design. The most
Let’s set the scene… You’re on-site; you’re about to get started, and you whip out your brand new line laser level. It’s straight out of the box. So what’s next? How do I use it? Whoa! Slow down there tiger! In this blog, we’re going to teach you: What is a Line Laser How to make sure your Laser Level is leveled How to use your Line Laser Here at Aptella, we want you to have the utmost confidence when using new tools on a job. Below is an essential front-to-back laser line level guide. What is a Line Laser? A laser line level (also known as a line laser level) an instrument that employs a laser and
So you’ve scoped your job, you’ve chosen your equipment, and you’ve landed on the ever-versatile rotary laser. So what’s next? Here you will learn how to use your laser level. What is a Rotary Laser Level? A rotating laser (also known as a rotary laser level) is an advanced laser level that spins a beam of lightning-fast enough to give the optical illusion of a solid 360-degree plane. These planes can be horizontal, or vertical. Illuminating not just a solid and static line, but lateral planes. Not to be confused with a laser ‘measuring tool’ which defines space and distance between multiple objects, or a laser pointer which is used in presentations, or playing for endless hours with
As we all know, the traditional level has been around for centuries. We can actually backdate the invention of the level to 1661. Whilst first used in telescopes and surveying, technology has come a long way since then. Today, we more commonly use the digital laser level. Sometimes also referred to as a plumb laser, or beam laser. So with all the iterations of the laser out there on the market, it’s sometimes hard to choose which one is best for the job you need. When looking for a laser to help you mark a chimney, install a deck, or even assist with the installation of a drop ceiling; look no further than a vertical line laser. What
