The brief

Analyst view

• AutoMine runs in more than 140 mines and has logged nearly 9 million hours without a lost-time injury.
• AutoMine Aura, a rebuilt platform with 3D perception, launched on loaders in 2026; it moved 15%+ more ore in tests.
• Byrnecut, the largest underground mining contractor, ordered AutoMine for five more mines in early 2026.

Technical approach

As reported

Machines

Builds the machines it automates

Sandvik makes the underground loaders, trucks and drill rigs, so its autonomy software is designed together with the vehicles.

Control

Operators move to the surface

Operators supervise from a control room above ground; one person can oversee several loaders instead of driving one.

Scaling

From one machine to a fleet

Entry systems automate a single loader; fleet versions hand out jobs and manage traffic for many machines in the same tunnels.