Two research teams at Luleå University of Technology have won SEK 400 000 each on a pitch contest for innovation in the mining industry. The ideas were the smart mining bolt ThingWave and the eco-lubricant SustainaLube.
Our product had a strong connection to the program call that was about investigating new technologies for application in the mining industry, and we were at the right level. It feels great to win this contest, it will be our second pitch win in a row now - Jens Eliasson, Associate Professor of Industrial Electronics.
Previously, the group won the prestigious contest IPSO Challenge in the United States. The company ThingWave has developed a system that can lead to greater safety in mining. The mining bolt has a transmitter that monitors and displays certain errors, with the help of the Internet of Things, for example, if the bolt is about to release. The team consists of five people who are researchers and entrepreneurs from Luleå.