Fresh from acquiring their remote licence to operate box-based automated drones in Australia, a multi-national data collection company has found a partner in the country to finally set their xBot system free commercially for the first time.

Australian-stock exchange listed RocketDNA has announced a partnership with Calidus Resources – a gold mining company that operates in Western Australia – which will see the former operating drone-in-a-box services on the premises of the one of the latter’s subsidiary companies.

More specifically, the three-year partnership will see RocketDNA installing a DJI Dock system on the premises of Keras (Pilbara) Gold and have its pilots carrying out remote surveying operations from wherever in the world.

It could have been from Johannesburg (where the company also has a licence for automated operations from the local aviation authority), or Accra where the company has offices; however, this operation will be carried out from their Australian command base in Perth.

But wherever they do it from, this will be a historic moment for the aerial data services company; because it will mark the very first time they are able to carry out and xBot operation on a commercial basis.

RocketDNA CEO Christopher Clark was obviously delighted.

“We are delighted to announce this first long-term xBot contract,” Clark said.

Like we said. Obviously.

“Although we already have other xBots deployed, the long-term format of this contract will allow us to partner with the customer and potentially provide for further specific needs of the site.

“The components within this specific contract also demonstrate the breadth of our product suite – and how the different components of xBot, ROC, Strayos and SiteTube can be harnessed to provide an overall solution which is cost effective and value adding for the customer.

“Our December capital raise was focused on providing funds to build and configure xBot units ready for trials and customer demand. With the first batch reaching completion, our pipeline of potential sales growing, the signing of this contract and other purchase orders arriving, we are confident we have timed our expansion correctly to take advantage of this growing market sector.”

In a statement, the drone services company added that its xBot contract will see RocketDNA provide Keras Gold with solutions that include the supply and maintenance of one drone-in-a-box surveying system, monitored by a pilot located at an off-site remote operating centre (ROC); and the Strayos AI software licence to enable automated processing, analysis and reporting for the open pit operations using the SurveyBot data.

RocketDNA has a commercial partnership with Strayos which provides mining operators with an array of AI-driven data applications that generate operational efficiencies and insights.

Initially, the docking system will be deployed at Calidus’ Blue Bar pit, a satellite open pit operation located 70km from Calidus’ Warrawoona Gold Project in Western Australia.

There, the DJI Matrice 30D (or the Matrice 30TD) will conduct daily surveys of the open pit for drill and blast design, pit conformance reporting, volumetric reporting; stockpile surveys for volumetric reporting; daily imagery and video to provide up-to-date situational awareness of the operation to the clients’ off-site personnel, with livestreaming capacity.

“Calidus is currently commencing operations at various satellite pits that are up to 70km distant from our main processing facility,” said the company’s managing director David Reeves.

“The pits are generally smaller in size and do not justify their own survey team on site. The xBot not only allows daily pickups for survey to be completed efficiently, the associated video also allows our planning team in Perth to understand exactly how the operations are progressing and allow for rapid reaction if required.”

In that vein, Reeves is hoping the solution from their new partner will see a reduction in the frequency of physical surveying activity which requires significant road travel and on-site time; the leveraging on rapid data processing time and AI insights for mining optimisation; and the provision of oversight on mining operations to remote senior management

“We look forward to partnering with RocketDNA and see great potential for this technology on our other sites as they come on line,” Reeves added.

RocketDNA is hoping to have the drone dock system set up, testing and up for running by June this year.