On the 23rd of April 2018, Inkonova received the first commercial service purchase order for a scanning mission using their Batonomous system, from LKAB Malmberget. The order came after a demo of the system was conducted earlier this year in Gällivare in Northern Sweden. LKAB owns the biggest underground iron ore mine in the world, located in Kiruna. The service mission is scheduled for the first half of June 2018.

The mission aims to survey zones deemed difficult or impossible with the previous state of technology. The inclination, the terrain of the shaft, the danger of collapse and falling rocks, absence of light, GPS, vision and prior knowledge, all make it a challenge to survey and map these areas. Lack of data from such zones cause weeks of delay, and a multitude of errors, leading to millions in monetary loss.

Ikonova’s Batonomous technology, along with their other systems, specialize in enabling autonomous aerial robotics in spaces where no other survey platforms can be used, particularly in autonomous navigation where all infrastructure (such as GPS, light and beacons) is absent, no prior map exists, and the environment provides a challenge.

Inkonova’s aerial robotics solutions has been catering to the underground mining market in North America, South America, Africa and Europe, since 2016, with products such as the TILT Ranger, TILT Scout and most recently the Batonomous.

For further inquiries:
Ahmed AlNomany
Cofounder & CEO
ahmed@inkonova.se