Urgeiriça uranium mine will test one of the most advanced underwater robots in the world

27th May 2021

The testing of the UX-1Neo autonomous robot, developed to explore flooded underground mines, will take place this Thursday, May 27 (11 a.m.) at the old Urgeiriça uranium mine (Nelas, Viseu). These are the first tests of the robot developed by the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), within the scope of the European project UNEXUP.

The UNEXUP aims to improve the technology previously developed during the UNEXMIN and commercialise it. The new exploration robot includes improved hardware and software, showing better performance in terms of reach and depth, as well as data acquisition, management and processing.

“It is one of the most advanced underwater robots in the world, with a new modular architecture, high operability and a broad set of sensors in a small volume (a sphere with a diameter close to 70cm); it includes six cameras, 3D laser-based sensing systems and acoustic sensors for mapping and imaging. These new features provide more reliability and safety to exploration missions, while reducing costs", said Alfredo Martins, researcher at INESC TEC and professor at Porto's School of Engineering (ISEP).

This autonomous underwater robot enables the exploration of flooded mines up to a thousand meters in depth, in order to obtain relevant information - such as their structural state and map (allowing to know if there were any landslides or related issues) - and important geological data to determine the existence of mineral resources with economic interest - which would be more difficult and dangerous to obtain otherwise, leading to higher costs (e.g. the need to withdraw water, and lower the water table).

There are close to 30.000 closed mines in Europe, many of which are now flooded, but still contain important mineral resources that can be exploited. This project will allow the introduction of a robot capable of producing geological, mineralogical and spatial information - in the safest way possible - in the European market. It will focus on flooded mines and other underwater confined environments, thus addressing a specific market need currently unfulfilled.

EIT Raw Materials allocated approximately €2.95M to the UNEXUP project, expected to end in in December 2022. In addition to INESC TEC, it includes the following partners: University of Miskolc (leader) and UNEXMIN GeoRobotics (Hungary); La Palma Research Center and Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain); Resources Computing International Ltd (4dcoders) (UK); Tampere University (Finland); and Geological Survey of Slovenia (Slovenia).

More information about the project on https://www.unexmin.eu/unexup/

Photos here.

Test sites

Urgeiriça Mine

Rua do Freixieiro 6-44, Canas de Senhorim

Coordinates: 40.512844, -7.896376

Porto - May 27, 2020

For further inquiries:

Eunice Oliveira

Communication Service

INESC TEC

FEUP Campus

Rua Dr Roberto Frias

4200-465 Porto

Portugal

M +351 934 224 331

eunice.i.oliveira@inesctec.pt