Research activities and Engagements
Current and emerging areas of high impact research in the Department include:
Augmented-, Mixed- and Virtual Reality safety training.
Geological and structural mapping by laser scanner.
The Department is constantly adjusting to the changing needs within our society that is driven by the 4th Industrial revolution. That means that our students are exposed to the latest technologies during their class and laboratory work and regular industry visits. The Department has one of the first Virtual Reality training systems at a 欧美福利100000, which enables students to walk around and perform certain tasks including the correct placement and use of explosives in a mine, while being safely in a laboratory. These tasks would normally only be possible on a working mine under sometimes challenging conditions. In the VR Simulacrum sponsored by Sibanye Stillwater, allows the student a realistic experience that it is completely safe. The construction of the Sibanye Stillwater Simulacrum incorporates a realistic mine tunnel complex in a building where students are able to experience a fully integrated mixed reality (MR) experience where real infrastructure is combined with virtual reality simulations. This tunnel complex acts as a digital-twin mine on campus which will be used to develop a full extended reality programme.
The increased qualification profile of staff and the introduction of the Honours and Masters programmes will increase research outputs to an acceptable level. Research focus areas will focus on Sustainable mining, Resource optimization, Extended Reality Technology in Engineering Education.
The introduction of sponsored chairs in the near future to support the Post-Graduate and Research activities in Sustainable mining supported through Sibanye Stillwater. The research areas in Sustainable Mining will include Longevity of mining, artisanal mining and Advanced Orebody Knowledge.