Piecing together the future of coal mining

High-school students in Australia are using Lego building blocks to design tomorrow’s coal mining machines.

Forty students from grades 10 and 11 gathered at the St. Lucia campus of the University of Queensland in Brisbane to compete in Mission Impossible 2001, a challenge to build a Lego version of the ultimate coal mining machine.

The event is part of the Australian Student Mineral Venture Mining in Society Summer School and is organized by the Brisbane-based Co-operative Research Centre for Mining Technology and Equipment (CMTE).

After touring nearby coal mining operations, four groups of students built comprehensive mining models with Lego blocks donated by Caterpillar Mining Equipment. These models took various factors into account, including maintenance schedules, performance capacity, costs, environmental impact, and occupational health and safety.

“The winning entry — the Blackadder DSS longwall mining system — incorporated a new cutting system and a method for gathering and conveying coal,” says event organizer Dr. Dominic Howarth.

But the question remains: Have any of these models been built?

“None,” confesses Felicia Smith, a spokesman for CMTE. “A little more R&D is needed there.”