Researchers in Shanghai are trying to develop a remote control device that would be capable of surveying the inside of a coal mine and digging coal, reducing the number of miners needed inside the mine to improve safety.
The Shanghai branch of the China Coal Research Institute is currently conducting a feasibility study on the project, a senior engineer said yesterday.
While existing machines can already survey a mine and dig, they have to be operated by humans inside the mine. Researchers want to convert the devices so that they can be operated from outside the mine and provide a full picture of the situation in a mine if there are no humans underground.
"It's a very challenging job that could take more than five years," said Liu Zhenjian, the engineer in charge of the project.
He admitted, however, that even if the device works perfectly, it will probably be far too expensive for small mines, which are the site of most of the country's deadly mining accidents.
"It should be able to raise mining efficiency by some 20 percent and reduce the risks to miners," Liu said.
The electric machine should be capable of traveling 600 meters deep into a mine and sending back data, such as the height and contents of a mine, to ground operators. It will also be equipped with a video camera to send back live images.
"The most difficult part of the project will be developing sensors that can recognize and digitize the complicated situation inside coal mines," said Liu.
Some engineers said the new coal machine, once invented, will mainly lift the safety level in big state-run coalmines.
They said the price of the new machine is expected to reach 100 million yuan (US$12.35 million), far more than small mines can afford.
Mine accidents have become a serious national concern in recent years.
At least seven major coal mine accidents were reported around the country last year, including a disaster at the Sunjiawan Coal Mine of Liaoning Province on February 14, 2005, which killed 214 miners.
(Shanghai Daily March 28, 2006)
