The winner of the International Innovator Mechanical Award at the 2018 Electra Mining Africa exhibition, for its gravity assist system, was Canadian independent tyre dealer Kal Tire. The system’s mechanical arm allows technicians to manoeuvre tools and parts weightlessly, precisely and safely on mines, advancing the way earthmover-tyre technicians do their job. Instead of fastening nearly 70 lug nuts by holding a large torque gun, the gravity assist system acts like a mechanical arm by holding and swivelling the torque gun almost like a weightless extension of a technician’s body.