VI General Assembly of the MINE.IO Project Held in Porto
On 27–28 January, the MINE.IO consortium convened in Porto, Portugal, for the sixth General Assembly — a key milestone as the project approaches its final phase. The meeting brought together all partners to review progress, coordinate upcoming activities, and ensure alignment with the project’s overarching objectives. As one of the last gatherings before the Final Event in May, the GA played a crucial role in preparing the consortium for the concluding stages of MINE.IO.
Objectives of the Meeting
The General Assembly was designed to:
- Share and update partners on the latest project activities
- Evaluate progress across all work packages
- Coordinate the next phases of implementation
- Strengthen collaboration and ensure alignment with project goals
- Prepare for the final months of the project and the upcoming Final Event
A voluntary get‑together dinner on the evening before the GA offered an informal opportunity for partners to reconnect and set the stage for two productive days.
Day 1: Work Package Updates, Pilot Demonstrations, and Final Event Preparations
Work Package Updates
The first day opened with a welcome session hosted by INESC TEC, followed by an overview of the GA objectives. The morning continued with a series of structured presentations from the leaders of the technical work packages:
- Understanding the lifecycle Mine.io digitalization
- Eco-efficient technological solutions for exploration, electrification and extraction)
- Technological solutions for strategic processing and waste management
- Mine.io integration processing and digital mine solution – Progress and Plan
- Market shaping, scale-up business models and socio-economic impact & Mine.io outreach and awareness generation) – Exploitation and Business Planning
These sessions provided a comprehensive overview of the project’s technical advancements, challenges, and next steps. A dedicated presentation on technical and pilot integration highlighted the importance of synchronising developments across the consortium.
After lunch, Technical Coordinator presented the main highlights and achievements of the project to date, followed by an open discussion that allowed partners to exchange insights and align on priorities for the final months.
Pilot Demonstrations
The afternoon was dedicated to demonstrations of the six MINE.IO pilot cases, showcasing the practical implementation of the project’s technologies:
These sessions illustrated the progress of each pilot site and the integration of MINE.IO solutions in real‑world mining environments. The day concluded with WP1 updates and a summary session, followed by an social dinner for partners.
Why the Final Event Matters
Among other topics the key role of upcomming Final Event was raised. In this regard, the main point of discussion was the preparation of the MINE.IO Final Event, which will take place on 7 May 2026 in Turin. As the flagship moment of the entire project, the Final Event will mark the culmination of three years of research, development, and pilot‑scale validation. Much of the first day of the GA was dedicated to aligning the programme, refining the structure of the sessions, and coordinating the organisational aspects needed to deliver a high‑quality, public‑facing event.
During the Final Event, the consortium will present:
- the complete set of project results,
- demonstrators of the developed technologies,
- insights and outcomes from the six pilot sites,
- and a forward‑looking perspective on how MINE.IO solutions can support safer, more autonomous, and more sustainable mining operations.
The event will be open to all interested participants, and the registration page — along with the detailed agenda agreed during the GA — will be published soon on the MINE.IO website. The consortium encourages the community to follow our communication channels, as updates will be released regularly in the coming weeks, including details on what will be showcased during the event.
Day 2: Technology Exhibitions and Demonstrations at INESC TEC
The second day took place at the INESC TEC Robotics and Autonomous Systems facilities. Partners were divided into two groups to participate in alternating sessions:
- Autonomous Systems Lab Tour
- Test Site Tank Simulation
During these sessions, participants explored INESC TEC’s capabilities in aerial, maritime, and submersible robotic systems. The focus was on underwater robotics — a central component of MINE.IO’s technological ecosystem.
Live Exhibitions and Demonstrations
Partners observed autonomous missions performed by two underwater robotic platforms:
- EVA, which executed a mission to deploy and retrieve sledges equipped with a muon telescope, simulating the placement and recovery of measurement equipment inside a mine.
- UX‑1NEO, which navigated autonomously through a virtual tunnel scenario, mapping its geometry and demonstrating the ability to resume data collection from previously marked nodes.
These exhibitions closely reflected real‑life use cases and showcased the advanced autonomy, sensing capabilities, and operational robustness of the robotic systems developed within the project by a team of scientists and and engineers from Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering Technology and Science, Muon Solutions, HUN-REN Wigner Research Center for Physics, Lulea University of Technology and ACCELIGENCE LtD.
The day concluded with a final discussion session and a joint lunch, marking the end of the two‑day assembly.
Learn More
To explore the technologies exhibited and demonstrated during the GA — including muon imaging and underwater robotics — visit our dedicated article:
