Case study: A remote control robot for underground surveying

A student at the University’s renowned Camborne School of Mines has turned his final year project first into a PhD and now into a career.

James Jobling-Purser designed the remote-controlled Robotic Survey Vehicle (RSV) as part of his undergraduate studies in mineral surveying and resource management.  The RSV was designed to act as a mobile platform for sophisticated surveying equipment in areas too dangerous for people to enter.

James obtained initial financial backing from a family business, Jobling Purser Ltd, for a 3-year PhD programme to develop a prototype vehicle under the supervision of Dr Pat Foster of the Camborne School of Mines.  Once the prototype was developed, James and his backers established Jobling Purser RSV Ltd as a legal entitiy in order to take forward the commercialisation of the project.

How RKT helped

Support and mentoring from the University of Exeter’s Research & Knowledge Transfer office at our Tremough Campus in Cornwall helped James to secure Objective One CUC Research Funding.  This was key in enabling James to develop electronic components for the RSV in collaboration with JK Electronics in Penryn.

James’ business has continued to receive support, advice, and funding from the University of Exeter, University College Falmouth, and Business Link.  He was able to use the talents of the Design Centre at University College Falmouth to finalise plans for the RSV’s ‘pod’.  The pod, which houses electronics and a mounting unit for attaching survey equipment, was then built in collaboration with a local marine composites firm.

A series of tests at CSM’s Test Mine allowed academic experts to introduce James to important mining industry figures including surveying equipment manufacturers.  An active PR and marketing campaign was successful when James’ company was approached to survey a silver mine in Mexico with the RSV, which uses 3D laser scanning technology to survey voids and stepped excavations (otherwise known as ‘stopes’).

Since completing his PhD James has established his own company - 3D Mine Surveying International Ltd - with another CSM graduate, Lucas Flumm.  3D MSI is a company designed to carry out specialist 3D surveying on a contractual basis for mine expansion projects and that require complex 3D models for areas of development. James and Lucas have recently completed their second contract, this time in South Africa where they surveyed the deepest mine in the world.

View a BBC News video of the Robotic Survey Vehicle in action.