UQ researchers were key in delivering a new drone-mounted imaging system that harnesses remote sensing technology and complex physics to provide users a near-instant 3D mesh of a survey area.
Key points
- UQ researchers have been lauded for their role in a $7.3 million Horizon Europe program that developed a new high-tech imaging system for mining
- The drone-mounted hyperspectral technology provides a near-instant 3D mesh of a survey area, and clues as to what might lay underground
- Researchers from UQ's Sustainable Minerals Institute were recruited to provide the project a bridge to the resources industry and to interpret data captured during case studies in regional QLD before a final validation flight in Brisbane
University of Queensland drone experts have played a key role in delivering new aerial imaging technology which the European Union has touted as a gamechanger for mineral exploration.
Geoscience and remote sensing researchers from UQ's Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) were part of the European-led m4mining consortium that delivered a hyperspectral imaging system capable of mapping surface patterns of minerals, soils, and plants from the air in real time, aiding exploration and mining activities.
UQ Drone Collaborative Research Platform lead Associate Professor Steve Micklethwaite said the drone-mounted imaging system harnessed remote sensing technology and complex physics to provide users a near-instant 3D mesh of a survey area, and clues as to what might lay underground.
"SMI was recruited to provide the consortium with a bridge to the resources industry and to interpret data captured during case studies in regional Queensland before a final validation flight in Brisbane," Dr Micklethwaite said.
"We confirmed the processing power of the Norwegian-engineered technology allowed for near-immediate access to complex aerial mapping data, instead of users having to wait weeks or even months to see results."
Dr Micklethwaite said hyperspectral image processors have been used on drones before but processing the data post-mission had taken 'a deceptively long time'.
"With this system data you capture comes in a useable format when the machine touches down.
"It is real-time processing that allows users to make fast, informed decisions about their projects."
The consortium was seeded with $7.3 million (€4.5 million) from Horizon Europe for a system to boost material characterisation during exploration, extraction, re-mining, and environmental impact monitoring.
The consortium is led by Norwegian research centre NORCE and imaging company Norsk Elektro Optikk AS, which produces technology under the HySpex brand.
Dr Micklethwaite said SMI's reputation for industry-facing research and existing relationship with HySpex were key to bringing UQ to the consortium.
The m4mining consortium is led by Norwegian research centre NORCE and imaging company Norsk Elektro Optikk AS, which produces technology under the HySpex brand.
"This meant establishing a minerals advisory board within the project and receiving feedback from industry during the development of the technology to make changes and improvements where needed."
In its general review of the m4mining project, evaluators for the European Commission lauded the group for delivering a fully integrated, validated, and market-ready technological solution for the mining industry.
"The final result represents a paradigm shift in how hyperspectral data can be acquired, processed, and utilised in complex mining environments," the report reads.
HySpex has since integrated the m4mining technology into a commercial hyperspectral imaging product called BiFrost that it plans to launch to the public in the coming months.
NORCE project management lead Edmond Hansen lauded the efforts of the SMI collaborators in helping to unlock the aerial imaging breakthrough.
"Such technological development would not have been possible without cross-border collaboration and strong partnerships between industry and academia, in which UQ played a central role," Mr Hansen said.
"Australia's forthcoming participation in European research funding programs presents excellent opportunities for further collaboration and joint technological advancement."
The UQ Drones Collaborative Research Platform provides researchers, industry partners and government agencies with access to remote sensing, direct sampling, geophysics and operational expertise, along with bespoke applications.
Dr Micklethwaite said his team is actively developing methods to link drone hyperspectral data with satellite data to improve the resolution and fidelity of satellite data.
