- 01Stealth launches EdgeiQ mining pilot.
- 02Handheld maps and analyses underground sites offline.
- 03On-device AI targets overbreak prediction; trial planned.
Strategic Elements (ASX: SOR) subsidiary Stealth Technologies has launched a commercial pilot program for its EdgeiQ Portable handheld spatial information gathering system designed for the high-value underground mining sector.
The product aims to address the capture and analysing of spatial information, one of the most demanding measurement challenges in underground mining as global positioning systems (GPS) are unavailable and network connectivity can be limited.
Refined through multiple generations of hardware development and five underground field trials with a Tier 1 mining company, EdgeiQ Portable brings together LiDAR scanning, 3D mapping, spatial positioning, and onboard analysis to capture and process information directly onto the device, delivering immediate results without the need for an internet connection or external cloud computing.
The trials provided the technical foundation for the new pilot program to explore EdgeiQ Portable’s potential support of multiple distinct mining products using its existing sensing, mapping and onboard computing capabilities.
Stealth’s location in Western Australia is believed to offer a strategic advantage, enabling it to collaborate with the operators of more than 58 underground mining operations on product development, field trials, and early commercial deployments before targeting broader international markets.
Physical AI Module
Working in partnership with Curtin University’s WA School of Mines, Stealth has added predictive intelligence to the existing EdgeiQ Portable hardware via an initial AI module without the need for additional computing equipment.
Trained on 1,000 simulated mining rounds using ground conditions and drilling parameters, the module aims to predict overbreak and associated dilution, which can present a multi-billion-dollar problem for underground mining operations globally.
Initial model test outputs were generated in approximately 100 milliseconds per inference, demonstrating the ability to execute AI processing directly on the handheld system without external or cloud computing.
Successful implementation of input validation and a repeatable process for transferring AI models onto EdgeiQ Portable hardware provides a foundation for Stealth to progressively develop and deploy more advanced models.
The company is targeting a potential underground field trial of the Physical AI module in the new year, subject to technical progress and partner site access.
Key Inflection Point
Strategic Elements managing director Charles Murphy was encouraged by Stealth’s progress in developing EdgeiQ Portable.
“After years of building and validating the underlying sensing, processing, and computing technology, we believe Stealth has reached an important inflection point, with its first commercial mining contract secured, multiple product commercialisation opportunities progressing and Physical AI development now converging,” he said.
“Physical AI represents a major opportunity for us as a pooled development fund and positions us to identify, back and help build technologies enabling AI to move beyond screens and data centres into machines and real world industrial operations.”
Active discussions have commenced with prospective mining partners regarding revenue-generating pilot deployments.
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