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SYDNEY - Mining giant Rio Tinto will spend A$21 million ($23 million) over the next five years on a research and development centre for mining automation at the University of Sydney.
Supporting 30 full-time staff and 10 research students, the centre will aim to develop fully autonomous and remotely operated mining processes.
If Rio Tinto and the university agree, the five-year deal will be extended.
"Australia is a natural base from which to support our operations with the innovative technical solutions they will need in the future," chief executive Tom Albanese said.
The centre will be based at the university's Australian Centre for Field Robotics and led by Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte.
"The new centre will allow us to realise a long-held vision for developing and applying robotics and autonomous systems research in mining," he said.
- AAP
