Australian Droid and Robot (ADR), a Brisbane-based robotics start-up, has raised $2 million to scale up production of its innovative eight-wheeled mining robots.
Founded by Joe Cronin, a former Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) project manager and robotics PhD, ADR has attracted major clients, including BHP (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto, who use its robots for hazardous underground data collection.
The 30-kilogram robots are engineered to operate autonomously in harsh, dark and debris-laden environments without halting machinery, significantly improving efficiency and safety.
With dozens of sensors, they can navigate complex terrain and gather essential measurements alongside operational mining equipment.
Inspired by Cronin’s experience at Rio Tinto, where routine inspections required stopping automated systems, ADR’s robots offer a safer alternative for gathering critical information without interrupting mining activities.
ADR first demonstrated its technology in 2021 when contracted to inspect a collapsed limestone mine in Tennessee. With a US$500,000 contract, ADR’s team sent 10 robots into the unstable environment, reopening the mine within a week.
“When the team got there, the whole town was waiting and relying on them because that’s where everyone was employed,” Cronin recalled.
Resource Capital Funds (RCF) led the latest funding round, which will support ADR’s development of the "Explora Remote Data Acquisition System," a docking station to facilitate continuous underground operations.
The system, slated for release in 2025, could potentially reduce mining costs by 5-7% by enabling uninterrupted operations, according to ADR. RCF partner Lyle Bruce expressed confidence in ADR's vision, emphasising its potential to make mining “safer, cleaner and more efficient.”