UFR–Sandvik AutoMine integration: coordinated robotic fleets for mine safety engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Sandvik’s 2024 acquisition of Universal Field Robots is extending its AutoMine® automation platform beyond underground loaders and trucks to include UFR’s diesel and battery-electric robotic carriers for tasks such as explosives loading, scaling and secondary break. Integration work is targeting AutoMine-compatible control of UFR machines via Sandvik’s existing automation infrastructure, including shared navigation, collision avoidance and traffic management. For mine operators, this points to a single automation layer coordinating production fleets and specialised robotic carriers in high-risk areas like drawpoints, crusher chambers and brow headings.
Technical Brief
- Integration work is extending AutoMine’s existing navigation mesh and localisation stack directly onto UFR carrier controllers.
- Sandvik is re-using AutoMine’s certified safety-rated PLC and emergency stop architecture on UFR platforms.
- Collision-avoidance logic from underground loaders is being parameterised for smaller UFR envelopes and different tool geometries.
- Traffic management rulesets are being adapted so UFR carriers obey the same virtual blocks as AutoMine trucks.
- Remote operator stations are being configured to hot-swap control between production vehicles and UFR units without re-logging.
- Common communications is based on AutoMine’s current underground wireless backbone, avoiding parallel radio networks for UFR.
- Safety case development is focusing on removing personnel from brow and crusher zones during UFR missions.
- For other mines already running AutoMine, UFR integration reduces incremental validation effort versus deploying a standalone robotic system.
Our Take
The 2024 acquisition of Universal Field Robots gives Sandvik AutoMine an in‑house field robotics capability that complements the multi-site AutoMine deployments Byrnecut ordered in March 2026, signalling Sandvik’s intent to control more of the automation stack rather than relying on third‑party integrators.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
Related Articles
Related Industries & Products
Mining
Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.
Construction
Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.
CMRR-io
Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.
HYDROGEO-io
Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.
GEODB-io
Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.
