Workforce ready

The Center for Autonomous Mining Systems in Holden Hall looks like a giant sandbox, but the one-of-a-kind facility is preparing mining engineers for the industry’s future.

The center is a two-story bay area with three pits full of various grades of locally sourced limestone gravel designed to represent different digging conditions. Additional classrooms overlook the pits, including a virtual reality lab that simulates heavy equipment operation.

Aaron Noble, head of the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering, said this “ecosystem” is unlike any other university facility in the world.

“It’s the first of its kind and one of the few places where you have a dedicated workspace for designing and testing autonomous mining equipment at a small scale,” said Noble. “Experiential learning is critical to our future at the university, and this facility provides a space that is both accessible and relevant.”

Students build and test autonomous haulers and excavators in the center as well as learn the fundamentals of sensors, robotics, and positioning systems that provide industry changing data.

“Our industry, like many, is becoming more autonomous, more robotic, and our students need to understand the sensors and data coming from those systems. Most importantly, they need to learn how to make the most out of that data so we can increase the efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of mining operations,” said Erik Westman, a mining engineering professor.

As society moves more toward a green economy, the need for copper, lithium, and other metals is great. The biggest challenge is finding qualified miners, so Noble, Westman, and the mining and minerals engineering department are working to recruit and train the next generation.

“This facility is a place we can take prospective students and show them in a very real sense that mining is not crawling around in tunnels with a pickax,” said Noble. “Mining is a highly skilled profession, and this facility gives us the capability to continue the tradition of excellence and innovation that define Virginia Tech.”

The center also provides a testing site for the Virginia Tech Astrobotics team and the Diggeridoos, who compete in Elon Musk’s Not A Boring Competition.