Motion Metrics is a Canadian technology company headquartered in Vancouver that uses its expertise in artificial intelligence and computer vision to inspire a new generation of safe and sustainable mining. With offices on five continents and customers on six, Motion Metrics has been a trusted partner in mining innovation for nearly two decades. Our products include missing tooth detection for shovels and loaders, tooth wear monitoring for shovels, boulder detection for haul trucks, volume monitoring for conveyor belts and haul trucks, and particle size analysis for shovels, haul trucks, conveyor belts, and in a portable format.

MOTION METRICS BRINGS PRODUCTIVITY TO MINES WORLDWIDE

The company’s 3D imaging andAI technologies make mining safe, smart and sustainable

Armed with some of the most advanced and rugged technology on the market, Motion Metrics is a trusted partner in mining innovation. The company is an industry leader in missing tooth detection and particle size analysis, with a growing suite of solutions aimed at improving mine safety, productivity and efficiency. Its products are designed, manufactured and tested to military standards at its Vancouver, BC headquarters.

Motion Metrics began as a sole proprietorship and grew over several years into a multinational company with offices on five continents. Its products have now been installed at more than 70 large mines operating in the world’s toughest environments. “Many mining companies will only use shovels and equipment that have our monitoring systems installed,” says Motion Metrics CEO and Founder, Shahram Tafazoli.

Motion Metrics owes much of its position as a market leader to an early investment in AI. In 2014, the company hired a University of British Columbia (UBC) electrical engineering graduate to develop LoaderMetrics, a monitoring system that uses thermal imaging and deep learning algorithms to detect missing loader teeth before they can travel downstream and obstruct the crusher.

“I knew we were onto something important, and that we needed to put more into this,” says Shahram. “We needed an entire artificial intelligence (AI) department.”

Today, Motion Metrics incorporates AI in all its products. These systems use technologies like rugged thermal imaging, 2D or 3D cameras, and deep learning algorithms trained on data from around the world to capture and analyze data more accurately than humans can.

In this era of escalating climate crisis and increased pressure on natural resources, Motion Metrics is also using its technologies to reduce the impact
of mining on our planet. Motion Metrics recently received $5.6 million in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for a multi-year, multi-party project that will use its machine vision and deep learning technologies to dramatically improve energy efficiency at mines worldwide.

“Comminution, the process of reducing particle size so that valuable minerals can be liberated from the ore, accounts for about half the overall power consumption at an average mine site,” says Shahram. “By using advanced digital imaging and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) sensors to measure particle size and mineral composition, we can reduce energy consumption and eliminate waste at various stages in the size reduction process. Although it is still early days, the Motion Metrics team is very excited to join the fight against climate change.”

As part of its commitment to make a positive contribution to the regions where it does business, Motion Metrics recently purchased 100 half-ounce Rhino Gold Bars from B2Gold and distributed them to employees.

“I learned about the poaching crisis in Namibia during an MSTA trade mission to the region in early 2020,” says Shahram. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to play a small role in helping to protect this species and support the communities that depend on them.”