Startup Licenses UA-Invented Mining Sensor Network
At the core of the system is the ability to sense a miner's location and body temperature, predict potential problems and recommend steps to avert health risks.
Mine workers wait for blasting to finish in the student-run UA San Xavier Mine near Tucson, Arizona. (Photo: Pete Brown)
University of Arizona startup GUIA has licensed a mining communication and sensor platform developed by faculty in the UA's College of Engineering and Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources.
While the team's initial focus for this "internet of things" system is mining, the company is looking to apply the technology to a number of other environments.
The inventing team includes Moe Momayez, UA associate professor of mining and geological engineering; co-founder Mary Poulton, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Mining and Geological Engineering, and co-chairman of the board of directors of the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources; and Oro Valley technology entrepreneur Sergio Cardona.