Abstract:
The economic upheaval of COVID-19 forced companies to invest in emerging technologies to aid
recovery. One such technology is extended reality, which is becoming a mature and innovative tool.
Early adopters are seeing significant benefits in learning, training, immersive data visualization,
and remote assistance. In South Africa, the mining industry is increasingly interested in using
extended reality to optimize and innovate operations. The Minerals Council of South Africa's
July 2021 report highlighted the potential of extended reality's to achieve zero-harm production
and modernize the industry. However, the extent of extended reality adoption in mining remains
unclear due to limited information on its usage. This study addressed this gap by distributing an
online survey to assess awareness, knowledge, and current uses of extended reality in South Africa’s
mining sector. The results indicated that virtual and augmented reality had the highest levels of
awareness and usage, primarily for learning and training. Mixed reality, however, had the lowest
awareness and knowledge levels. In terms of applications, visualization and remote assistance had
the least use cases. These findings highlight that the South African mining industry is deficient
in its understanding and use of extended reality technologies. Without better awareness and
application, the South African industry risks missing out on the full benefits of extended reality.
The study underlines the need for the South African mining industry to improve its outlook on
extended reality technologies to fully leverage their potential applications and benefits.
