Chao Yu hopes to transform traditional mining equipment into intelligent, connected and proactive systems with physical AI—a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses advanced sensors, edge computing and intelligent algorithms.

Yu founded LoopX in 2022 with some lab mates while still completing his PhD program at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Originally trained in robotics, he researched vehicle autonomy before identifying mining as a high-impact application for the technology.

The company’s LoopX Smart Mining Platform combines safety and productivity technologies into one integrated system that can improve situational awareness and reduce collision risks, while balancing worker protection and operational performance.

“I believe that this technology has great potential for all types of mobile equipment,” Yu said. However, there are limitations to using autonomous vehicles on public roads, and he saw opportunities in controlled environments like underground mines.

Since 2023, LoopX has focused on tailoring the technology to mining by building and testing products that will work in heavy-duty underground applications and partnering with major mining companies like Vale Base Metals on pilot deployments and technology evaluations.

“Existing technology relies heavily on radio frequency (RF), which detects a signal and alerts operators with a beep. Drivers get desensitized to the alerts and lose trust in the system,” Yu said. “Many mines use a combination of proximity detection systems, camera systems, geolocation tracking systems and telematics systems [that] often operate in silos, with each system collecting its own data independently.”

As a result, safety and operational information can become fragmented across multiple platforms and vendors. “When supervisors need to investigate an incident, they often have to piece together information from several different systems, and important context can be missing,” he explained. “Our goal is to bring these data sources together into a single intelligent platform that provides a more complete picture of what is happening in the mine.”

LoopX’s flagship technology is a collision avoidance system, which takes information from cameras, LiDAR and RF sensors and uses vision AI—which is designed to interpret images and videos—to provide vehicle operators with more precise information about what is happening around them. “The immediate outcome is improved driver safety,” he said. “They may not be able to see a pedestrian or another vehicle around the corner, but the system provides an alert, so the driver can operate more confidently.”

In 2024, LoopX relocated to the NORCAT building in Sudbury, Ontario. Having access to the NORCAT Underground Centre helped LoopX validate its technology in real mining conditions and demonstrate its capabilities to potential customers. “People want to touch the system and see it work outside of a lab, in a real mining environment,” Yu said.

Soon after LoopX was installed in NORCAT, the company launched a pilot project with Cementation to validate its technology in a production environment. Following the successful pilot, the technology progressed into commercial deployment. “It took a lot of learning to make the system really rugged and reliable,” he said.

In February, LoopX received $480,000 from FedNor to advance the development and commercialization of a generative AI-powered analytics system to help mining operators identify risks earlier. Looking ahead, LoopX plans to scale up deployments across larger fleets and expand to more mining operations globally.

The company is also expanding its AI-powered platform beyond collision avoidance. By leveraging the growing volume of operational data collected from connected equipment, LoopX aims to provide mining companies with more safety insights, productivity analytics and autonomous capabilities. “[It] is not just a system for the driver, but a system for the whole mine to pave the way for future mining autonomy,” Yu said.