An Approach to Design a Smart Mining Helmet

The mining industry is one of the most important and heavily relied upon industries. Mining facilitates the extraction of naturally occurring resources from the Earth's surface, encompassing vital elements like iron, gold, diamonds, coal, and a diverse array of minerals crucial for sustaining and advancing the economy. There are around 12,000 miners that die in mining accidents worldwide each year. Out of this, the largest number of fatalities occur in China, which produces 35% of the world's coal but accounts for 80% of the world's coal mining fatalities. The mining accidents are more prone to the underground miners. There are many reasons for the accidents, like Gas leaks like methane and carbon monoxide, posing a threat to the miners safety. The gas leaks can also cause explosions, as there is a high chance that the gas leaked is flammable. Thus, there is a need to develop a smart mining helmet to provide the miner safety and timely assistance. Hence, the objective of this project is to extend timely and crucial assistance to the distressed miners, ensuring their rescuers at the opportune moment, safeguarding lives before it reaches a critical juncture. Our product is designed to monitor the environment around the miner and detect poisonous and flammable gas underground. The study mainly focuses on the use of IoT devices and sensors which will provide an alert during the time of a mishap. This paper presents the prototype for a smart mining helmet designed to actively engage with the miner's environment, thereby enhancing safety measures and ensuring their well-being.