Anglo American subsidiary Kumba Iron Ore (Kumba) is sponsoring the development of Africa’s first virtual reality (VR) mine design centre at the University of Pretoria’s (UP’s) department of mining and engineering.

The R18.8-million project, which can simulate a range of mining functions, including accident reconstruction and risk analysis, will be completed early next year.

Kumba’s VR mine design centre also includes the development of openpit mining- related software modules and simulates potential hazards and testing evacuation procedures.

The design centre consists of floor-to-ceiling screens and the VR simulator casts 360º three-dimensional images against the surrounding panels with cinematic clarity and sound effects.

“The mandate from Kumba was that the facility had to be highly interactive,” states UP department of mining and engineering head Professor Ronny Webber-Youngman.

He explains that the new facility will simulate high-risk scenarios in a safe, controlled environment.

“Undergraduate mining students will be able to integrate different conceptual and software modelling techniques, incorporating geological models, mineral extraction methods, mine planning and design and mining systems in a VR environment.

Further benefits include the ability to virtually design a complex mining operation from the ground up, as the customised design packages will enable trainees to develop their understanding of complex mining operations throughout the mine’s life cycle.

“By improving the ability of mining engineers to take into account the long-term environmental consequences of their financial and technical decisions in a virtual environment, there will be significant safety benefits to the industry and the surrounding communities in the real world,” says Webber-Youngman.

He points out that the centre has great potential to achieve the zero-harm objective, as the technology allows for the reconstruction of actual mining incidents for forensic investigation purposes to try to prevent the recurrence of incidents in the future.

He states that the centre will have an impact on the activities of mining companies and on the mining industry, especially in terms of mine planning and design.