Mining Metaverse

The metaverse

Figure 1. Metaverse concept. (After Phillip Stothard, Peter Ryan,​​​​​​​ Takeshi Kurata,​​​​​​​ Doug Stapleton 2024)

The metaverse is difficult to define, but, broadly speaking, it is an infinite and persistent set of computer-generated virtual worlds accessible via a human–computer interface and controlled by the creator’s imagination, society, computer code and graphics. Importantly, it is accessible by people, agents and machines, both simultaneously and at any time. An example is shown in Figure 1. ISO^* defines the metaverse as a universal, immersive virtual world facilitated by virtual reality and augmented reality. It is a persistent and immersive simulated world experienced in the first person by simultaneous users sharing a sense of presence within a virtual location.

Considering the metaverse’s ability to provide mutual presence, from a mining industry perspective and referring to Figure 2, to suspend disbelief that a person is at location ‘A’ (say a mine site office), but can see and interact with a virtual environment at location ‘B’ (say a mining metaverse) that is a digital twin of location ‘C’ (a real mine), is a significant challenge to realise; however, if realised, it would provide a powerful capability, especially for achieving the goal of a sustainable mining operations, because it could improve communication, collaboration and understanding of the short- and long-term tasks within mining operations. A significant financial benefit also may be possible from a mining metaverse because it will allow ‘what if’ scenarios and simulations to be run in a safe and forgiving environment as part of staff education and operational risk management processes. Within a mining metaverse, what we see is what we will have (in reality). Commerce, gaming, education, training, knowledge sharing, and socialisation in very near real time are all a part, and could also be leveraged. For future fully autonomous mining operations that are very remote or not easily accessible, this could be a powerful and essential communications tool that removes people from hazardous areas and allows remote control of automated systems.

Essentially, the mining metaverse would provide a comprehensive, integrated, online communications tool that brings people together who may be remotely located offsite, or even at the same location, but remote from each other (e.g., underground or on the surface). It will thus allow people to interact to complete some activity or objective. Figure 2 shows a generalised layout of a hypothetical mining metaverse integrated into operations.

Figure 2. Mining Metaverse Concept. (After Phillip Stothard,​​​​​​​ Peter Ryan,​​​​​​​ Takeshi Kurata,​​​​​​​ Doug Stapleton 2024)

* ISO, I.S.O., ‘WD Stage Information technology — Computer Graphics, image processing and environmental data representation — Metaverse Concepts, Definitions and Terminology’, in ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 24/WG 10, 2023, ISO.