Australian robot sent to New Zealand mine

[News_Editor]

Australian robot sent to New Zealand mine

2010-11-24 00:41:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (BNO NEWS) -- An Australian robot on Tuesday was sent into the Pike River mine to help with the search of 29 people that are missing since an explosion last week.

The Australian robot is a skid-steered remotely-operated vehicle equipped with cameras, lights, communications and gas testing equipment. It is controlled through a fiber-optic cable and has a range of 6 kilometers.

However, there are some concerns regarding the effectiveness of the robot in the harsh conditions at the mine. Texas A&M University professor and robot specialist Robin Murphy told the Science Media Center it was always a long shot to use any robot for a situation or environment that it is not designed for.

"The environment is tough - dark, wet, cold so even on a level floor that would be easy for a person to walk on a 'regular' robot can quickly short out, get its sensors covered in muck, mechanically seize up, or the operator make a mistake," she said.

The first robot used in the search efforts broke down as it was operating outside of its primary role on Monday. The robot was regularly used to handle explosive devices by Army operators. The device usually operates in all outdoor weather.

It was being used to dripping water, dust and high temperatures inside the mine. However, the Defense Force robot malfunctioned after going under a large gush of water about 550 meters inside the Pike River mine.

Only one robot has been designed specifically for mine rescue, the Inuktun Mine Crawler which was used during the Crandall Canyon Utah mine collapse.

Last Friday, an explosion took place at the Pike River coal mine, leaving 29 people unaccounted for. Following a power outage at the mine, an electrician discovered that a loader driver had been blown off of his machine about 1,500 meters into the mine shaft when he went to check electrical system.

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