Industry 4.0 in development of new technologies for underground mining

Abstract

Students of the Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology of the Wrocław University of Technology, together with engineers from KWK ROW Ruch Chwałowice, a part of Polska Grupa Górnicza S.A., conducted a survey among the group of underground workers. The selected target group included mechanical fitters, electricians and miners. The survey concerned the development of new technologies for underground coal mining. It was developed so that its form is understandable to the respondents. It contained 15 questions and the respondents were asked to choose only one answer for each question. The questionnaire was anonymous and contained questions about the period of seniority and the age of the respondent. The article presents opportunities arising from the introduction of Industry 4.0 in the context of improving safety and increasing coal production in underground mining. A historical view of industrial revolutions was developed based on available publications in order to briefly present the idea of Industry 4.0.