Unit cycles in mining have not changed for many years. Productivity
increases over the past three decades have mainly been achieved by using
larger and heavier machines. This investment in size has probably
reached the point of diminishing returns and increased productivity in the
future will have to be generated by other means. One way of achieving
this is through automation of selected unit operations, eg dragline
overburden removal, truck haulage, ground support installation and
secondary breakage. Although, in the past few years, there has been significant progress in
this direction, we are still a long way away from even partial automation
- especially in hard rock mines. This paper addresses the technical
obstacles facing mining automation; suggests ways by which these
obstacles may be overcome and identifies the role of industry groups and
research providers in this process.