Exyn recently introduced the Advanced Autonomous Aerial Robot, or A3R, a solution the company is describing as the first fully autonomous aerial system for data collection in GPS-denied environments.

A Canada-based international mining company, Dundee Precious Metals(DPM), selected Exyn as its technology partner to help advance “digitization and automation of its underground gold mining operations,” according to a news release.

“The Exyn A3Rs allow frequent and hi-resolution mapping of underground environments while reducing risks to personnel. We are very excited at the results of the maps we are seeing,” DPM’s Vice President of Digital Innovation Theophile Yameogo said. “As we further integrate the A3Rs into our workflow, we anticipate a transformation of operations compared to today’s models.”

The system is driven by Exyn’s proprietary software platform, exynAI, which enables full autonomy for aerial robots. A3R is a self-contained system that operates without a human pilot or the need for any prior information, persistent communication, or GPS. The system can carry out high-level missions in complex and unknown spaces.

The company’s multi-sensor data fusion pipeline allows the system to assimilate measurements from a variety of on-board sensors including 3-D LiDAR, cameras and inertial sensors. This makes it possible to generate a robust state estimate of itself and surrounding environments. When used with Exyn’s real-time navigation software stack, robots can avoid collisions with stationary and moving obstacles. The systems are also able to perform real-time Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (“SLAM”) for accurate map generation.