MATRIC Focuses on Mine Safety Technologies
Wednesday January 25, 7:45 am ET
CHARLESTON, W.Va., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As Chris Hamilton, Senior Vice President of the West Virginia Coal Association, states in the January 12, 2006 issue of The State Journal, "It's unacceptable that we can talk to someone [in space], but we can't talk to a miner 200 feet below the surface." The Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center (MATRIC) could not agree more with Mr. Hamilton's assessment. MATRIC staff believe that communication is indeed the key that could prevent future mining tragedies.
MATRIC is currently engaged with West Virginia's legislative, gubernatorial and congressional leadership and the West Virginia Coal Association to resolve this latest issue. Using existing technologies - Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), for example - MATRIC staff have already developed coal mine vehicle tracking systems that could also be used to locate those miners in need of assistance. Bio-monitoring technology used by athletes to monitor vital signs to help increase their performance, combined with RFID, could monitor and report trapped miners' health status.
MATRIC's research includes systems that could:
-- quickly locate miners in need of assistance
-- transmit data about air quality where miners are trapped
-- allow two-way communication during emergencies
-- monitor vital signs of miners in crisis
-- guide miners to a safe location
-- prevent vehicles from entering unsafe conditions
-- provide renewable oxygen for emergency conditions
-- filter carbon monoxide more efficiently
For more information, contact MATRIC CEO Keith Pauley, 800/611-2296 x 81, keith.pauley@matric.cc.
MATRIC is a 501(c)(3) scientific research and development organization. Headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, with offices in Houston, TX and Morgantown, WV, MATRIC has a national presence and clients across the country. MATRIC currently employs 25 professionals, including 15 Ph.D. researchers. MATRIC is located in the Dow Technology Park, a world-class R&D center with significant infrastructure for conducting a wide range of pilot plant and technology demonstration activities.