Rock drill runner up in Dyson design award

This year Humber College industrial design student Borys Chylinski was selected as a Canadian runner up with his project Skorpion Rock Drill, a compact mining drill carrier concept design.

Chylinski says he chose the topic of underground mining because he was born in a mining town called Lubin, Poland.

“The men in my family worked the local mine which tapped into the largest copper deposit in Europe. They witnessed co-workers die or suffer debilitating injuries but for some reason they continued to go into work. This project was inspired by and is dedicated to my family.”

Problem: A key driver of the Canadian economy, mining is a crucial but inherently dangerous job. Drill carriers are often too large for mining environments, so miners resort to using a jackleg, a heavy hand-drill with poor ergonomics and a high rate of vibration, contributing to nearly one-third of all underground injury claims.

Solution: Skorpion Rock Drill is a user-centred compact drill carrier that combines the features and safety of a large scale drill with the versatility of a jackleg. The operator rides the vehicle at the rear footpad where the control panel is situated, allowing them to navigate their environment safely. Once the working location has been reached, the operator dismounts, stows the footpad and detaches the control panel allowing them to complete the drilling sequence at a safe distance by remote.

Click here for more on the Skorpion