Industrial IoT · 2023
Underground Personnel Positioning Network
Positioning to within 10 cm at depths GPS and the internet cannot reach.
Neither GPS nor the internet works in mine tunnels, so we built our own UWB-based network: every miner is tracked to within about 10 centimetres by a battery-powered board they carry, and data is passed from board to board through the tunnel to reach the surface without internet.
Live simulation
360 metres underground. Every worker, always visible.
Explore a three-level underground mine in 3D, cross-section and floor plan. Watch 24 workers and 8 gas sensors live; trigger a methane leak, a fire or a ventilation failure and see how MineGuard guides everyone to safety.
Gas spreads along the galleries and weakens with distance; it passes between levels with difficulty and travels further when ventilation stops. Thresholds: CH₄ 1% warning / 1.5% alarm, CO 25 / 50 ppm, O₂ 19.5% / 18%. During evacuation every worker is routed by the shortest path that avoids gassy tunnels to the main shaft, escape raise or refuge chamber. A worker motionless for 30 seconds triggers a “man-down” alarm.
Challenge
Tracking personnel and responding quickly to emergencies in mine tunnels beyond the reach of GPS and the internet.
Our solution
±10 cm positioning with UWB, an internet-free anchor-to-anchor data chain, Man-Down detection and a 37,500 mAh tag battery.
The story
How we built it
In mining accidents, the most critical problem is locating trapped workers. Since there is no GPS signal, mobile network or internet underground, we developed a positioning system that works entirely on its own.
Positioning uses UWB (ultra-wideband) technology. By measuring the signal’s time of flight between boards fixed in the tunnels (anchors) and the board worn by each miner (tag), the position is calculated to within about 10 centimetres.
Data travels along an internet-free chain: the last anchor sends its data to the previous anchor, and the data moves board by board until it reaches the surface. Tags use a 37,500 mAh battery that lasts from 24 to 2,400 hours per charge depending on how often they report. The Man-Down feature raises an automatic alarm when a worker stops moving.
Technologies used
- UWB
- Anchor chain
- Embedded C
- Low-power design
- ATEX
- Dashboard
Technical specifications
| Positioning technology | UWB (ultra-wideband) |
|---|---|
| Location accuracy | ±10 cm |
| Data transmission | Anchor chain, no internet needed |
| Boards | Anchor (fixed) · Tag (worn by miner) |
| Tag battery | 37,500 mAh |
| Runtime per charge | 24 – 2,400 hours |
| Protection | IP68, ATEX Zone 1 |
| Man-Down | Automatic alarm when motionless |
MineGuard
Tracks every underground worker to within 10 cm — no internet needed.
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