The Vale Institute of Technology – Mining (ITV-MI) yesterday inaugurated, May 17th, the “Laboratory Park of the Vale Institute of Technology – ITV”, located on the campus of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), in Minas Gerais. The laboratory will be the basis for the development of new technology that will support the mining of the future.

Occupying a field of 680m² and with a constructed area of 1,200m², on two pavements, the unit is the result of a cooperation agreement involving ITV and UFOP, signed in 2013, which provides the creation of a macro program of research for the improvement of the performance of the iron ore concentration by flotation. Part of the agreement gives the possibility of investments in infrastructure: ITV and Vale are committed to financing the construction of a new set of laboratories with the purpose of supporting the development of the research.

Vale Institute of Technology, in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, which has one of the most advanced laboratories in the country, has been investing more and more in Robotics projects. In addition to enabling the development of innovative solutions for Vale operations, the initiative serves as the basis for teaching and support programs for employee training.

The Speleological Robot, the Mineral Qualification Robot in Mine Face, the Assisted Steering System for Off-highway Trucks, the Shovel Teleoperation Framework, and Drone Mapping are some of the highlights. Learn more about the projects:

The ITV’s purpose is to bring together and join forces with UFOP in the research and development of new technologies that contribute to the modernization of the mining activity. ITV works by permeating the activities of the mining industry and the university, which allows research initiatives to be field-tested. The Institute’s vision is that research initiatives will provide the development of the region through entrepreneurship. For ITV, the mining of the future depends on the development of new technologies, among them in the area of Instrumentation & Control and Automation. The intention is to make the region of Ouro Preto a center for the development of these technologies, a kind of “Silicon Valley” for the mining area. “Having ideas and dreams is great. Putting them into practice and seeing them accomplished is even better. I have to thank everyone for the commitment in making this achievement possible, which is not only Vale and UFOP’s commitment, but of society as a whole”, said Luiz Mello, ITV’s Chief Executive Officer.

Laurindo Leal, Scientific Director of the Vale Institute of Technology in Ouro Preto, says that the inauguration of ITV’s Laboratory Park on the campus of the Federal University of Ouro Preto is “another milestone in the consolidation of the institute in the region and, consequently, a greater opportunity for collaboration between the company and the university, which promote Vale’s business and create opportunities for the regional development”.