How Does VR Transform Mining Training? Meet the New Drill Simulator

How we used VR, hand-tracking, and custom controllers to create an immersive and effective learning experience for drill operators.

This machine is used to drill holes in the rock into which explosives are placed.

Mining Meets Virtual Reality

In today’s mining industry, training new drill operators often revolves around squeezing in a few minutes here and there with the machine as part of an apprenticeship program. However, this approach has limitations, including the availability of the machine and inherent safety risks.

The need for a better and safer way compelled us to build, from the ground up, a state-of-the-art mining drill simulator. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our experience, highlighting the challenges we faced and how we overcame them to produce a unique and innovative training tool.

We are ready to drill.

Simulating the Complex Drilling Process

Simulating the complexity of the drilling process — using the electro-hydraulic boom’s eight movement types to mastering the drill’s rotation, speed, percussion, and feed — represented a substantial challenge.

First, we broke the simulator down into two modules to provide a more comprehensive training experience:

• Getting Started: This module familiarizes operators with the drill’s mechanics through guided exploration, complemented by a quiz and a checklist activity to inspect the equipment’s components.
• Drilling Simulation: This hands-on module offers guided and practice modes for drilling. As operators work, their decisions, drill angle, precision, and speed are consistently evaluated.

Design iterations.

To accurately simulate all of the complexities, we traveled deep underground into the mine to gain first-hand experience with the drill, interviewed seasoned operators, studied technical manuals and documentation, and then meticulously designed and tested each simulated component alongside operators.

Finally, we incorporated evaluation metrics such as precision, perforation angle, and drilling depth with complimentary random scenarios designed to test operators’ reactions to critical situations.

Custom controller replicas.

Feel the Drill: Custom Controller Replicas

Part of operating a drilling machine is the muscle memory and tactile feel you develop by using the machine and its controllers, and nothing embodies authenticity more than employing replicas of the actual controllers (ten levers and two adjustment knobs).

We chose PC-based VR headsets (rather than standalone) because they are more reliable when dealing with custom accessories. This decision enabled us to seamlessly incorporate bespoke controllers while also cranking up graphic quality (essential for simulators). We then leveraged virtual reality to simulate the rest of the experience (the tunnel environment, machinery, and characters).

Hand-tracking, the most convenient user experience.

Merging Real and Virtual through Hand-Tracking

One of the most disconcerting aspects of virtual reality is the disconnection between the real and virtual worlds. This becomes particularly pronounced in our simulator, where users engage with real controller replicas that are invisible to them while wearing a VR headset.

To bridge this divide, we leveraged hand-tracking technology, enabling operators to visualize their actual hands within the virtual environment. We also designed a mechanism to precisely synchronize the virtual and real controllers’ positions, resulting in a highly intuitive and immersive training experience.

Hand-tracking is also used for UI interactions.

This enabled us to employ the most natural and effective interaction mechanism available: your own hands. We then used hand-tracking as the go-to method of interacting with the virtual environment and user interfaces, completely discarding the need to use VR’s overly complicated controllers.

And a product was born.

The Transformative Power of Virtual Reality

Our simulator isn’t merely a tool for operators to hone their skills in a realistic environment. It’s a vehicle for boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of drilling operations through reduced equipment downtime, lower maintenance and training costs, and accelerated drilling speed.

These advantages are valuable in the ever-evolving mining industry, where technological advancements and the relentless pursuit of efficiency and safety are paramount. The need for training and simulation to keep up with this speed has sparked the development of new and innovative training and simulation tools, which we’re excited to be contributors to!