Philadelphia-based Exyn Technologies said Monday it has been selected as part of a national laboratory-led team for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Mine of the Future Initiative, contributing its ExynAI navigation technology to a project aimed at accelerating domestic critical mineral discovery.
A leader in physical AI for autonomous mapping and perception-driven navigation in complex environments, the company said it will be part of a national laboratory-led team supporting the DOE’s Mining Autonomous Platform for Prospecting and Ore Discovery (“MAP-POD”) project. Exyn will contribute its near-zero drift navigation for ground vehicle autonomy to support the project’s development of advanced underground mining and mineral discovery capabilities, the company said.
The DOE selected 17 national laboratory projects for a total of $29.5 million in funding under the initiative, officials said. The selected projects will reduce dependence on foreign supply chains while bolstering national security and advancing technologies that will establish America’s long-term energy independence. The company said the MAP-POD project combines robotics, advanced sensing and AI to enhance underground mapping and material identification.
Exyn said it will bring its experience in autonomous mapping of underground mines to the project. The company has achieved Level 4B autonomy, which enables aerial and ground robots to navigate, map and collect data in complex environments where GPS has been denied. The autonomy engine will allow industries like the defense industry to support reconnaissance, situational awareness and infrastructure assessment, while reducing the need to place personnel in hazardous environments, the company said.
“Securing America’s supply of critical minerals is a national priority, and our participation in this national laboratory-led project selected under the DOE’s Mine of the Future Initiative represents an important opportunity to demonstrate ExynAI’s capabilities,” Ben Williams, Interim CEO and COO of Exyn Technologies, said. “ExynAI was built for the conditions this project will face underground, where there is no GPS and the environment can be hazardous for people.”