TECHNOLOGY

From Pickaxes to Autonomous Robots

Published

2 months ago

September 20, 2023

As we delve into the fascinating world of mining, we journey back to a time when laborers chipped away at the earth with nothing more than pickaxes and hope.

Mining, an endeavor as old as civilization itself, has undergone a sweeping transformation over the centuries. From the Bronze Age miners to the autonomous robots of today, the evolution of mining techniques is a compelling tale of human ingenuity, endurance, and our relentless pursuit of resources. This journey introduces us to a wide array of tools and methods, each era marking a significant leap in technology compared to the previous, from hand tools to explosives, tunneling, and now, the era of autonomous machines.

Buckle up and join us as we traverse through time to explore the remarkable evolution of mining techniques: from the humble pickaxe to the sophisticated, self-driven robots that are redefining the mining landscape today.

Hand Tools and Human Tenacity

In the nascent days of mining, humans employed rudimentary hand tools such as pickaxes, shovels, and chisels to extract valuable resources from the earth. Labor was intensive, and the scale of operations was limited. Nevertheless, these early methods laid the groundwork for the mining industry and showcased the resilience and tenacity of humanity. Despite the risks and hardships, miners persevered, fueled by the promise of reward and the advancement of their communities.

Moreover, it was during this period that miners developed a set of processes to extract resources and created organizations to manage operations. They acquired the knowledge to identify mineral-rich areas and organized themselves with an advanced degree of sophistication. With the advent of black powder in the 11th century, miners had access to explosives that allowed them to expand their scope of operations – blasting through hard rock and tunneling into the depths of the earth. This ushered in a new period of innovation that saw mining develop at an accelerated rate.

Engineering and Automation

The 19th century brought about the Industrial Revolution, a period that saw tremendous advances in science and engineering. This opened up new opportunities for mining operations to scale up and mechanize processes, with machines such as steam-powered drills making it easier to bore into hard rock. Mines were now able to tunnel deeper than ever before, with human labor supplemented by a range of machines. This allowed miners to increase their efficiency and extract resources at a much faster rate. Namely, the experts from Austin Engineering suggest that innovative engineering solutions help to maximize productivity as well as profits. This included rapid advancements in safety technologies, with the introduction of artificial ventilation systems and dust extraction devices helping to reduce the risk for miners.

As we move into the modern age, automation has become the norm in mining operations around the world. Autonomous robots are now being used to survey mine sites, analyze data, and carry out tasks such as drilling and blasting with minimal human intervention. By leveraging the potential of technology, miners can enhance productivity and lower expenses. Moreover, these automated machines have revolutionized mining operations, enabling them to function with heightened safety and efficiency in hazardous environments.

Intelligent Robots and Future Prospects

As we venture further into the 21st century, intelligent robots are becoming more prevalent in mining operations. These self-learning machines, powered by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), are capable of performing complex tasks and making decisions autonomously. With the help of machine learning algorithms, they are able to analyze vast amounts of data to predict patterns and trends, enabling them to optimize mining processes for efficiency and safety.

Moreover, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has allowed these robots to be interconnected, leading to a more integrated and streamlined operation. While these advancements promise a more efficient and safer future for the mining industry, the transition also brings about its own set of challenges and questions, such as the impact on employment and the need for robust cybersecurity measures. With continued research and development, the industry is set to tackle these challenges head-on, paving the way for an exciting new era of mining.

Sustainable Mining and Environmental Considerations

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As we march towards a future dominated by automation and AI, another crucial aspect to consider is the environmental impact of mining operations. To address these concerns, the mining industry has been exploring sustainable mining techniques and technologies. One such approach is the use of solar power and other renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with mining operations. Additionally, water management techniques are being implemented to minimize water usage and prevent contamination of local water sources.

Furthermore, the industry is leveraging technology to improve waste management. By incorporating advanced waste processing technologies, mining operations can reduce the volume of waste produced and repurpose it for other uses. For example, some operations are turning to bioleaching, a process that utilizes bacteria to extract metals from ores and reduces the need for hazardous chemicals.

Another promising avenue is the adoption of land rehabilitation practices after mining operations cease. Land rehabilitation involves restoring the mined land to its original state or repurposing it for other constructive uses. With these sustainable practices and technologies in place, mining operations can minimize their ecological footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.

The Future of Mining

As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, so too does the mining industry. Autonomous machines are becoming more sophisticated and efficient, capable of carrying out a range of complex tasks with ease. Artificial intelligence is being used to analyze data from sensors embedded in the machines, allowing them to make informed decisions on the fly.

Moreover, advances in robotics allow autonomous robots to navigate through difficult terrain and hazardous conditions that have traditionally been too dangerous for human workers.

The future of mining will no doubt be shaped by technology, with intelligent machines and automation taking on an increasingly prominent role in the industry.

Autonomous robots offer an exciting glimpse into what is possible and are paving the way for a new era of efficient and safe mining operations. We can only imagine what incredible leaps will be made in the coming years as we continue to explore the remarkable evolution of mining techniques: from the humble pickaxe to the sophisticated, self-driven robots of today.

The mining industry’s evolution exemplifies how technological progress can utterly transform an entire sector. From the era of rudimentary pickaxes to today’s sophisticated autonomous robots, mining has undergone a radical transformation, heralding massive boosts in productivity, safety, and efficiency. The journey hasn’t been without challenges, but the industry’s commitment to innovation ensures that these hurdles become stepping stones towards a more sustainable and profitable future.

Looking ahead, as AI, IoT, and robotics continue to evolve, they promise to usher in even more groundbreaking changes, continually redefining what is possible in mining. The future indeed looks bright, as the industry harnesses the power of technology to ensure a safer, more efficient, and environmentally conscious future for mining.

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TECHNOLOGY

Canonical releases low-touch private cloud MicroCloud

Published

5 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Max

Canonical has announced the general availability of MicroCloud, a low-touch, open source cloud solution. MicroCloud is part of Canonical’s growing cloud infrastructure portfolio.

It is purpose-built for scalable clusters and edge deployments for all types of enterprises. It is designed with simplicity, security and automation in mind, minimising the time and effort to both deploy and maintain it. Conveniently, enterprise support for MicroCloud is offered as part of Canonical’s Ubuntu Pro subscription, with several support tiers available, and priced per node.

MicroClouds are optimised for repeatable and reliable remote deployments. A single command initiates the orchestration and clustering of various components with minimal involvement by the user, resulting in a fully functional cloud within minutes. This simplified deployment process significantly reduces the barrier to entry, putting a production-grade cloud at everyone’s fingertips.

Juan Manuel Ventura, head of architectures & technologies at Spindox, said: “Cloud computing is not only about technology, it’s the beating heart of any modern industrial transformation, driving agility and innovation. Our mission is to provide our customers with the most effective ways to innovate and bring value; having a complexity-free cloud infrastructure is one important piece of that puzzle. With MicroCloud, the focus shifts away from struggling with cloud operations to solving real business challenges” says

In addition to seamless deployment, MicroCloud prioritises security and ease of maintenance. All MicroCloud components are built with strict confinement for increased security, with over-the-air transactional updates that preserve data and roll back on errors automatically. Upgrades to newer versions are handled automatically and without downtime, with the mechanisms to hold or schedule them as needed.

With this approach, MicroCloud caters to both on-premise clouds but also edge deployments at remote locations, allowing organisations to use the same infrastructure primitives and services wherever they are needed. It is suitable for business-in-branch office locations or industrial use inside a factory, as well as distributed locations where the focus is on replicability and unattended operations.

Cedric Gegout, VP of product at Canonical, said: “As data becomes more distributed, the infrastructure has to follow. Cloud computing is now distributed, spanning across data centres, far and near edge computing appliances. MicroCloud is our answer to that.

“By packaging known infrastructure primitives in a portable and unattended way, we are delivering a simpler, more prescriptive cloud experience that makes zero-ops a reality for many Industries.“

MicroCloud’s lightweight architecture makes it usable on both commodity and high-end hardware, with several ways to further reduce its footprint depending on your workload needs. In addition to the standard Ubuntu Server or Desktop, MicroClouds can be run on Ubuntu Core – a lightweight OS optimised for the edge. With Ubuntu Core, MicroClouds are a perfect solution for far-edge locations with limited computing capabilities. Users can choose to run their workloads using Kubernetes or via system containers. System containers based on LXD behave similarly to traditional VMs but consume fewer resources while providing bare-metal performance.

Coupled with Canonical’s Ubuntu Pro + Support subscription, MicroCloud users can benefit from an enterprise-grade open source cloud solution that is fully supported and with better economics. An Ubuntu Pro subscription offers security maintenance for the broadest collection of open-source software available from a single vendor today. It covers over 30k packages with a consistent security maintenance commitment, and additional features such as kernel livepatch, systems management at scale, certified compliance and hardening profiles enabling easy adoption for enterprises. With per-node pricing and no hidden fees, customers can rest assured that their environment is secure and supported without the expensive price tag typically associated with cloud solutions.

Want to learn more about cybersecurity and the cloud from industry leaders? Check out Cyber Security & Cloud Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: automation, Canonical, MicroCloud, private cloud

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TECHNOLOGY

AWS and SoftwareOne collaborate on RISE with SAP

Published

6 days ago

November 22, 2023

Max

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SoftwareOne Holding AG, a global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions, have partnered to help customers transition to RISE with SAP on an AWS cloud environment.

Called the Ready for RISE on AWS bundle, it combines SoftwareOne’s deep SAP advisory and implementation knowledge with AWS technologies to expedite a client’s SAP transformation journey.

The collaboration comes at a time when there is growing pressure on organisations to decide how to modernise their SAP environments driven in part by the end of mainstream support for SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC) in 2027. Despite the imminent deadline, many organisations are still confused as to which path to take, including when to adopt RISE with SAP, SAP’s bundled offering of cloud solutions, infrastructure, and services that helps migrate SAP ERP to the cloud.

Ireneusz Hołowacz, Director of Application Development Center at GAVDI Polska, said: “A stable, efficient, and cost-effective environment for consultants and programmers is one of the most important priorities of our daily work. Thanks to the migration of our SAP systems to the AWS cloud with the help of SoftwareOne, GAVDI Polska has achieved all the goals set for this process.

In a survey recently conducted by SoftwareOne with Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG) – the full details of which will be revealed in January 2024 – showed that while 42% of respondents were familiar with RISE with SAP, 40% had heard of it but weren’t familiar with the details and 18% had never heard of it. Over half (52%) said they were still unsure how RISE with SAP would impact their existing relationship with cloud service providers.

“SAP customers have implemented some of the most comprehensive and complex enterprise systems in the industry and moving them to cloud services like AWS requires many important decisions to be made to optimise these investments,” says Joshua Greenbaum, Principal at EAC. “SoftwareOne’s extensive experience in the SAP ecosystem, combined with its unique capabilities around system rationalisation, cost containment, contracts and licenses, and cloud service management, among others, will provide customers deploying on AWS with the ability to make the most of RISE on SAP and other SAP offerings. Ready for RISE on AWS is an important offering for SAP customers at this critical moment in their business transformations.”

The Ready for RISE on AWS bundle will help clients understand their SAP transformation options and offer a comprehensive solution to organisations who consider RISE with SAP. It includes advisory data preparation, conversion services, data and AI, cloud innovation platform, supporting the entire journey to RISE on AWS. Clients will benefit from accelerated Return on Investment (ROI), optimal data management, and cost-saving strategies while laying the foundation for ongoing innovation and long-term business success.

Matt Schwartz, worldwide director, SAP Alliance & Partner Network at AWS, said: “As a valued AWS Premier Consulting Partner, AWS is working closely with SoftwareOne to offer SAP customers comprehensive assistance through each step of their journey to RISE with SAP on AWS. SoftwareOne’s ability to bundle Advisory, Data & AI, Cloud Platform, and Operations considerations can be of high interest to customers who are seeking to understand RISE with SAP as well as the cloud native and operation considerations that surround and support the RISE with SAP construct.”

PF Grillet, SAP Business Lead at SoftwareOne, said: “There are many choices available to SAP clients who know they need to modernise but aren’t sure of the best option, particularly given the business-critical nature of the applications.

“All of our services are centered around our customers and what is right for them. This includes supporting and optimising RISE with SAP in scenarios when it’s the right decision based on their requirements. Our extensive knowledge of and relationship with AWS means we can help them better prepare and achieve a seamless transition to S/4HANA using RISE with SAP on AWS with reduced costs and risks. This collaboration goes beyond preparing businesses for change; it’s making transformation and becoming innovation-ready a reality using AWS technologies.”

The offering includes SNP tooling to reduce a customer’s data footprint and accelerate migration. SoftwareOne will migrate selected data to an AWS data lake, accelerate innovation readiness and ensure SAP data is suitable for broader data analytics and AI use cases. Clients gain access to innovative tools like AWS’ Sagemaker for Machine Learning, continuous data management and optimisation within the AWS environment. The AWS innovation platform also includes Amazon Bedrock that helps organisations accelerate adapting Large Language Models and deploying GenAI use cases that leverage the extended data set.

“While the future innovation opportunities are exciting, clients need to balance these with a pragmatic approach to costs,” explained Marilyn Moodley, Country Leader for South Africa and WECA at SoftwareOne, “We integrate ‘Cost-Out’ recommendations into the core of our services, providing a more cost-effective solution for customers, like reducing the data footprint size and optimising storage and archiving.

“Our expertise in the complexities of SAP licensing further drives cost savings while our FinOps capabilities enable customers to optimise their AWS cloud spend and effectively manage their AWS cloud environment, ensuring full transparency in their budgets. The overall result is a significantly reduced time for RISE migration, which translates into a quicker time to value.”

Tags: AWS, partnership, SAP, SoftwareOne, transition

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TECHNOLOGY

Appian unveils winners of its International Partner Awards

Published

1 week ago

November 22, 2023

Max

Software firm Appian has announced the winners of its 2023 International Partner Awards at the Appian Europe conference in London.

The awards recognise partners who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation and excellence in leveraging the Appian Platform to deliver transformational business value to clients through end-to-end process automation.

Christopher O’Connell, VP of Partners & Alliances, said: “These exceptional partners have successfully delivered excellent business outcomes with our European customers by implementing process automation with the Appian Platform.

“This year’s winners have showcased unwavering commitment, innovation, and transformative power by partnering with Appian. We’re proud to recognize their achievements at the 2023 Appian International Partner Awards. Their dedication and passion for excellence exemplify the values we hold dear at Appian, and we look forward to further collaboration in the journey of innovation and transformation.”

The winners are as follows:

Delivery Award – EY

EY Italy is the proud recipient of the Delivery Award, which acknowledges their unwavering commitment to excellence and project delivery for an Italian energy customer. EY Italy’s innovative project management, attention to detail, and seamless integration of the customer’s unique needs into the solution led to transformative outcomes. Their deep understanding of Appian’s capabilities and passion for delivering exceptional value has accelerated project timelines and enhanced the overall quality of deliverables.

Innovation Award – KPMG UK

KPMG’s end-to-end Customer Due Diligence (CDD) service reduces the average case handling time and improves the first-time resolution of cases, allowing global banking institutions to focus back on the core parts of their business. KPMG leverages the Appian Platform to implement continuous improvements and customer data insights throughout the lifetime of the engagement. KPMG ensures a customised and rapid implementation of the CDD service, tailored to each client’s specific business needs. KPMG has built over 5,000 reusable Appian objects and with their onshore/offshore Appian delivery capability has reduced end-to-end platform build time by 40%.

Growth Award – Minsait, an Indra Company

Minsait receives the Growth Award for their remarkable expansion of the Appian practice. In the past year, they increased the number of globally certified practitioners by over 25%. Minsait’s commitment to education is evident through its internal training practice, which has successfully educated more than 200 students, and its collaboration with local universities to certify 100 additional consultants in 2024. To support their growth, Minsait has established a Centre of Excellence, extending their expertise across Europe, LATAM, and the Philippines.

Transformation Award – PwC Spain

PwC is the recipient of the Transformation Award for their remarkable project at one of the top 10 insurance companies in Europe. PwC’s comprehensive transformation involved decommissioning the customer’s legacy platform and migrating all applications (which serve over 25,000 users) to the Appian Platform. This transformation enables the customer to handle complex workflows, develop new applications, and adapt to future business needs with agility.

Partner of the Year for EMEA Channel Sales – VASS

VASS is recognised as the Partner of the Year for EMEA Channel Sales in acknowledgement of their outstanding contributions to Appian’s growth and success in the region. As a leading provider of transformative digital solutions and consulting in 22 countries on four continents, VASS has achieved the highest annual contract value (ACV) in the region through close partnership and collaboration as an Appian reseller.

Tags: Appian, awards

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