34 Mining Robots Compared: What Changes When Equipment Has to Survive Underground for a Decade
Mining equipment is bought for a 10 year service life, not a product cycle, so parts availability matters more than the spec sheet. See real capabilities from 29 manufacturers before you commit to a fleet. Whether you want to buy, hire or lease, every one of the 34 mining robots for sale below links straight to the manufacturer, with specifications pulled from their own site, not a reseller.
Key takeaways
- Judge mining automation over ten years of parts and service.
- Communications infrastructure is part of the robot.
- Model the value in tonnes per hour, not in wages.
Compare the top picks
| Model | Maker | At a glance | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat 797F Mining Truck with MineStar Command for Hauling | Caterpillar Inc. | Nominal rated payload: 400 ton (US), 363 t | Rated gross machine weight: 1,375,000 lb (623,690 kg) | Contact Caterpillar dealer for a quote; factory-ready Command for hauling option, retrofit kits also available |
| Deepvein DeepSight Exploration (Quadrupedal Sampling Robots) | Deepvein Mining Tech | Category: Robotics-first mineral exploration system (aerial drone swarm plus quadrupedal ground sampling robots) | Aerial component: Drone swarms equipped with multispectral, magnetic and electromagnetic sensors for wide-area 3D scanning and mapping | Contact Deepvein Mining Tech for pricing; first-generation systems operational, second-generation prototypes in validation |
| T 264 Battery Electric (Autonomous) | Liebherr Mining Equipment (in partnership with Fortescue Zero) | Payload class: 240 tonnes | Gross vehicle weight: 416 tonnes | Contact Liebherr Mining Equipment for a quote; official pricing not published |
| GSR Patania II - Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Collector | Global Sea Mineral Resources NV (GSR, a DEME Group subsidiary) | Weight: Approx. 25 tonnes | N/A, pre-prototype research vehicle, not sold commercially |
| Pronto AHS | Pronto (Atoms Inc.) | Sensor Approach: Camera-first (Vision edition); LiDAR + radar added in VLR/VLR 360 editions | Truck Compatibility: OEM-agnostic, retrofits existing fleets (any manufacturer) | Not disclosed (positioned as lower total cost of ownership than sensor-heavy competitors) |
Not sure which model fits your job, or want help with hire or lease terms? Email J2R with what you need done and your budget, and we will shortlist real options and help broker the deal.
Real case
Trains with no driver across the Pilbara
Rio Tinto's AutoHaul became the world's first fully autonomous heavy-haul, long-distance rail network in Western Australia in 2019, carrying iron ore from mines to ports.
The lesson for buyers: Autonomy pays where every extra productive hour is worth a fortune.
Source: Rio Tinto announcement, 2019
Want a result like this? Tell us the task and budget and we will reply with real options, prices and lease terms.
How to choose
Mining robots include autonomous loaders, haul trucks, drill rigs and rock breaking robots, heavy capital equipment bought almost exclusively by mining operators and contractors at an industrial scale.
Underground or surface
Underground mining equipment needs explosion proofing, ventilation compatibility and tight clearance tolerances that surface mining equipment does not, the two are rarely interchangeable despite similar function.
Autonomy integration with existing fleet
Most mines already run a mixed fleet of manned and unmanned equipment. Check whether a new autonomous unit's fleet management and safety systems integrate with your existing mine control systems, rather than requiring a separate, parallel control room.
Total cost over the equipment lifetime
At this scale, financing structure, maintenance contracts and parts availability over a 10 plus year equipment life matter more than the purchase price. Ask about regional parts and service support before purchase, not after a breakdown.
Buy, hire or lease
Mining equipment at this scale is very often financed or leased long term rather than bought outright with cash. J2R can help connect you with the manufacturer's financing arm or structure a lease for your operation.
Before you buy
A mining robot will not pay for itself: run the numbers first
Mining automation is judged over a decade. Uptime, parts availability and integration with the existing fleet matter more than the headline capability, and a single day of lost production can outweigh the robot's price.
The most common mistake is comparing the price of the machine with the salary of one employee. A report prepared for the US National Institute of Standards and Technology found that a complete robotic system tends to cost three to four times the robot itself once integration is counted, and the money comes back only when the process around the robot changes. Start with the job and the number you want to move, not with the catalogue.
What you are really paying for
| Cost line | What to budget for |
|---|---|
| Fleet integration | Interfaces with existing haulage, dispatch and safety systems; mixed fleets are expensive to automate. |
| Communications | Underground networks, LTE or Wi-Fi, and redundancy for autonomous operation. |
| Safety case | ISO 17757 covers autonomous machine systems; regulators expect a documented safety case. |
| Parts and service over 10 years | Long-term supply agreements and local stock. |
| Change management | Control-room operators, retraining and union agreements. |
Measure this before you ask for a quote
- Tonnes per shift and utilisation of current equipment
- Re-entry time after blasting and lost hours per shift
- Incidents and exposure to hazardous zones
- Equipment downtime and maintenance cost
- Labour availability at remote sites
When to walk away
- Communications infrastructure cannot support autonomy
- The vendor cannot commit to 10-year parts supply
- Fleet is mixed and integration has no proven reference
Where the payback actually comes from
Automation earns its keep through more productive hours per shift, faster re-entry and removing people from hazardous zones. Model it against lost tonnes per hour, not only against wages.
Payback (years) = total investment ÷ annual net benefit
Total investment = equipment + integration, site work, tooling, training + output lost during start-up
Annual net benefit = savings you can prove − service, parts, energy, software and supervision
Total investment = equipment + integration, site work, tooling, training + output lost during start-up
Annual net benefit = savings you can prove − service, parts, energy, software and supervision
Six questions to put to every mining robot vendor
- Reference mines with similar geology and depth?
- Interoperability with my existing fleet and dispatch system?
- Parts supply commitment and local stock?
- Required network infrastructure?
- Productivity guarantees in contract?
- Safety case support and regulator experience?
Quick payback calculator
Rough first pass only. Use the prices in the tables on this page, or real country prices from the J2R 100 Robot Price Index.
Enter the annual savings you can actually prove to see payback.
All 34 mining robots for sale in the catalog
| Model | Manufacturer | Country | At a glance | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASI Mining Mobius Autonomous Haulage Platform (now Epiroc LinkOA) | ASI Mining, fully acquired by Epiroc AB in 2024 (previously Epiroc held a 34% stake from 2018) | USA (Mendon, Utah) | Ownership note: Epiroc completed full acquisition of ASI Mining in 2024 (previously 34% since 2018); Epiroc has renamed the mining product line from Mobius to LinkOA, though the asimining.com site referenced here still describes the Mobius platform as of its most recent update | Compatibility: OEM-agnostic across multiple manufacturers and truck models, avoiding lock-in to a single truck brand | Retrofitting an existing haul truck to full autonomy has been reported by industry press in the roughly $800,000-1,500,000 USD per vehicle range plus shared site infrastructure; not an official published price. Contact Epiroc/ASI Mining for a project quote | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Brokk 300 Pedestal Boom | Brokk AB | Sweden | Max Payload: 500 kg recommended attachment weight | Hydraulic Capacity: 95 liters | Not disclosed | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Cat 797F Mining Truck with MineStar Command for Hauling | Caterpillar Inc. | USA | Nominal rated payload: 400 ton (US), 363 t | Rated gross machine weight: 1,375,000 lb (623,690 kg) | Contact Caterpillar dealer for a quote; factory-ready Command for hauling option, retrofit kits also available | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Cat 798 AC Electric Drive Mining Truck (Command-Ready) | Caterpillar Inc. | USA | Payload: Up to 372 tonnes (410 tons) nominal rated payload, highest standard in its size class | Contact Caterpillar dealer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| 793 XE Early Learner (Battery-Electric Haul Truck) | Caterpillar Inc. | USA (Irving, Texas / Tucson, Arizona) | Payload: Up to 240 tons (based on next-generation 793 platform; diesel sibling rated to 265 tons / 244 tonnes) | Not sold commercially; Early Learner program trucks placed at partner mine sites | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Deepvein DeepSight Exploration (Quadrupedal Sampling Robots) | Deepvein Mining Tech | China (Shanghai) | Category: Robotics-first mineral exploration system (aerial drone swarm plus quadrupedal ground sampling robots) | Aerial component: Drone swarms equipped with multispectral, magnetic and electromagnetic sensors for wide-area 3D scanning and mapping | Contact Deepvein Mining Tech for pricing; first-generation systems operational, second-generation prototypes in validation | Visit manufacturer site → |
| EACON x Tonly EQ100E | EACON Mining Technology, with Tonly Heavy Industries | Beijing, China | Payload: 100 t (91 tonnes) | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Scooptram ST14 SG | Epiroc | Sweden | Payload: 14 tonnes | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Epiroc Scooptram ST10 G | Epiroc AB | Orebro, Sweden | Payload Capacity: 10 tonnes | Battery: 270 kWh nominal capacity, up to 4 hours drive time per charge | Contact Epiroc | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Pit Viper 275 E | Epiroc AB | Örebro, Sweden | Type: Cable-Electric Autonomous Surface Blasthole Drill Rig | Power: Cable-electric, fully autonomous operation | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Nexys Modular Autonomous Mapping System | Exyn Technologies, Inc. | USA (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | Autonomy level: Level 4B aerial autonomy (ExynAI), the highest documented aerial autonomy level as of the company's 2026 IPO filing, enabling complete pilot-free exploration of a defined 3D volume | Modularity: Deployable handheld, backpack-mounted, vehicle-mounted, or flown as a drone (ExynAero), using the same core sensor and autonomy payload across all form factors | Not publicly listed; contact Exyn Technologies for hardware and ExynAI licensing pricing | Visit manufacturer site → |
| GSR Patania II - Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Collector | Global Sea Mineral Resources NV (GSR, a DEME Group subsidiary) | Belgium | Weight: Approx. 25 tonnes | N/A, pre-prototype research vehicle, not sold commercially | Visit manufacturer site → |
| AUTO-HAULER | Gridbots Technologies Private Limited | India | Weight: 2,000 kg | Max Speed: 20 km/h | Not disclosed | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Herrenknecht Reef Boring Machine (RBM) | Herrenknecht AG | Germany | Inclination range: Up to 40 degrees, horizontal and ascending boreholes | Rock strength: Stable rock up to 300 megapascals | Contact Herrenknecht for a quote; official pricing not published | Visit manufacturer site → |
| BLASTDOG | IMDEX Limited, developed with Universal Field Robots | Australia (Perth, Western Australia) | Type: Multi-sensor probe deployed by a semi-autonomous, track-mounted robotic logging platform | Deployment: Semi-autonomous hole positioning and alignment over variable terrain and bench conditions, operator-supervised from a nearby vehicle | Contact IMDEX Limited for deployment and service agreements | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Eureka III | Impossible Metals Inc. | USA / Canada (Collingwood, Ontario R&D) | Weight: 4,950 kg in air; measures 5.1 x 2.6 x 2.4 m | Payload: Carries up to 4,000 kg of nodules per dive | Approximately $1.8 million per unit to manufacture (company estimate) | Visit manufacturer site → |
| ARTEV1000 (Automated Pre-Split Loading Robot) | Jevons Robotics | Australia (Perth, WA) | Type: Automated Rugged-Terrain Electric Vehicle (Explosives Loading) | Platform: Battery-electric, rubber-tired, payload-agnostic chassis | Contact Jevons Robotics (commercially available) | Visit manufacturer site → |
| 460 P-Tier Autonomous Articulated Dump Truck | John Deere (Deere & Company) | USA (Moline, Illinois) | Base machine: 46-ton class articulated dump truck, rated payload 41,820 kg (92,197 lb), heaped capacity 25.2 cu m (32.9 cu yd) | Engine: New JD14 diesel engine, 3 configurable drive modes; Eco mode delivers up to 12% fuel savings vs E-Series Normal mode | Development machine; not yet released; planned as a Deere-dealer-installed retrofit kit, pricing not yet announced | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Kinamics Arkytas MU-2.1 | Kinamics | Chile (Santiago) | Method: Photogrammetry: captures roughly 22 photographs of a tunnel front, transformed into a 3D digital terrain model | Operation: Remote-controlled (teleoperated), semi-autonomous | Contact Kinamics for unit and deployment pricing; deployed under an operational contract at Codelco's El Teniente Division | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Komatsu PC9000-12 | Komatsu Germany Mining Division | Germany | Weight: Nearly 896 tonnes, the largest hydraulic excavator in Komatsu's current lineup | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| FrontRunner AHS (930E-5AT) | Komatsu Ltd. | Japan/USA | Payload: 290 metric tons (930E-5AT) | Not disclosed | Visit manufacturer site → |
| 930E-5 | Komatsu Ltd. | USA | Payload: 290 metric tons (320 short tons) | Contact Komatsu dealer network | Visit manufacturer site → |
| T 264 Battery Electric (Autonomous) | Liebherr Mining Equipment (in partnership with Fortescue Zero) | Germany / USA (Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News Co.) | Payload class: 240 tonnes | Gross vehicle weight: 416 tonnes | Contact Liebherr Mining Equipment for a quote; official pricing not published | Visit manufacturer site → |
| DW165CE | LiuGong (Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd.) | China (Liuzhou) | Type: Unmanned electric wide-body mining haul truck | Payload Class: 127 tonnes | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Honey Badger 5.0 | MAB Robotics Sp. z o.o. | Poland | Payload: up to 5 kg | Weight: 17 kg | Not disclosed | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Major Drilling Robotic Rod Handler | Major Drilling | USA | Development: Built in Utah, led by VP US Operations Kevin Slemko, developed in early 2024 | Power: Fully electric, removing hydraulic leak and repair concerns | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Normet Xrock Autobreaker | Normet Group Oy (Xrock) | Finland | Function: Identifies, targets and breaks oversized rock at the grizzly without a person present in the hazardous zone | Sensing: Real-time camera vision and sensor fusion generating a dynamic point cloud of the ore mass | Contact Normet for a quote; commercially available, official pricing not published | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Pronto AHS | Pronto (Atoms Inc.) | USA | Sensor Approach: Camera-first (Vision edition); LiDAR + radar added in VLR/VLR 360 editions | Truck Compatibility: OEM-agnostic, retrofits existing fleets (any manufacturer) | Not disclosed (positioned as lower total cost of ownership than sensor-heavy competitors) | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Sandvik DD423i | Sandvik AB | Tampere, Finland (Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions) | Coverage: 81 sq m | Hole Length: 3.44 to 5.88 m | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Sandvik Toro LH518iB AutoMine Battery-Electric Loader | Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions | Sweden / Finland | Tramming capacity: 18,000 kg (18 tonnes) | Dimensions: 12,000 x 3,100 x 2,800 mm (LxWxH) | Contact Sandvik for a quote; official pricing not published | Visit manufacturer site → |
| DR410i | Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions | Sweden | Type: Automation-Ready Rotary/DTH Blasthole Drill Rig | Hole Diameter: 152-251 mm (6-9.88 in) | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| SKT145Ei | SANY Group | China | Type: Cabless Autonomous Battery-Electric Wide-Body Mining Truck | Payload Class: 90 tonnes | Contact manufacturer | Visit manufacturer site → |
| Tonly DTE145 | Shaanxi Tonly Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. | China (Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) | Payload: 91-tonne class rigid wide-body haul truck | Contact Tonly Heavy Industries or Tonly Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte Ltd for fleet and unit pricing; part of an 800-unit autonomous fleet order and a separate 50-unit order for Zijin Mining's La Arena mine in Peru | Visit manufacturer site → |
| XCMG XDR80TE-AT Autonomous Electric Mining Truck | XCMG Machinery (Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group) | China (Xuzhou, Jiangsu) | Cab: None; fully cab-less design | Operating modes: Remote control (5G-relayed) or full autonomous AI control | Contact XCMG or an authorized dealer for a fleet quote | Visit manufacturer site → |
Frequently asked questions
What is a mining robot?
Autonomous loaders, haul trucks, drills and rock-breaking robots for underground and surface mining
Are there mining robots for sale right now?
Yes. This page lists 34 mining robots from 29 manufacturers, most sold or ordered direct. A handful of specialist and defense oriented models are quote only or program based rather than an instant checkout, that is noted on the individual listing.
What is the best mining robot to start with?
There is no single best mining robot, it depends on the job. The comparison table above lines up 5 real options side by side, from Cat 797F Mining Truck with MineStar Command for Hauling to Pronto AHS, so you can match specifications to your actual task instead of a marketing claim.
How much does a mining robot cost?
Almost no manufacturer in this category publishes a price online, this is quote based equipment priced to your project. Use the manufacturer link on each model below to request a real number instead of guessing from a brochure.
Can I rent or lease a mining robot instead of buying?
Some manufacturers in this category offer direct rental or lease terms. For the rest, J2R can help broker a short term hire or lease arrangement with the manufacturer or an approved reseller.
How long does a mining robot take to pay back?
Automation earns its keep through more productive hours per shift, faster re-entry and removing people from hazardous zones. Model it against lost tonnes per hour, not only against wages.
How is a mining robot usually sold?
Long-term contracts, OEM partnerships. Compare buy, lease and RaaS prices in the J2R 100 Robot Price Index.