Mine Safe’s Collision Avoidance VR Simulation

Mine Safe Global builds collision avoidance systems for high-risk mining environments. Their CAS technology, developed in South Africa, monitors proximity, adjusts speed dynamically, restricts access to danger zones, and responds in real time to prevent accidents. In an open-pit mine, it is the difference between a near-miss and a catastrophe.

The technology speaks for itself in the field. The problem was making it speak for itself at MINExpo 2024, one of the largest mining industry exhibitions in the world, held in Las Vegas, where every vendor is competing for the same finite attention span.

How do you demonstrate a safety system that only becomes visible when something almost goes wrong?

Mine Safe needed an experience that could communicate technical complexity to a global audience, including engineers, procurement leads, and operations managers, without requiring them to read a brochure or sit through a product demo. The experience had to be immediate, physical, and memorable.

Realm identified three distinct problems that each needed to be solved, and that compounded each other if any one of them was handled poorly.

The insight that shaped everything: no amount of explanation would make someone understand what it feels like to be driving a 100-tonne haul truck when the collision avoidance system kicks in. But 90 seconds in a VR cab would.

Realm developed a full VR driving simulation, built in Unity with environments modelled in Blender, placing users in the driver’s seat of a heavy vehicle navigating a realistic open-pit mine. Every key CAS function was woven into the experience as a live scenario, not a narrated feature list.

What the simulation demonstrated

• Speed limitations activating automatically as the vehicle approached defined zones
• Proximity detection triggering real-time warnings for oncoming and stationary vehicles
• Dynamic follow distance adjusting based on speed and terrain conditions
• No-go zone enforcement restricting vehicle movement into restricted areas
• Crawl mode enabling safe navigation out of triggered zones
• Reverse camera feeds integrated into the driving interface for full situational awareness

The physical rig, built with EG Evolved

The VR headset alone was not enough. Realm collaborated with EG Evolved to build a custom driving rig that made the experience viscerally real: a steering wheel, pedals, and real-time force feedback that let users feel the resistance and movement of the vehicle responding to the system.

Why force feedback changed everything

When a user physically feels the vehicle slow as the CAS engages, rather than just seeing it happen on screen, the system stops being a feature demo and becomes a lived moment. That shift from watching to experiencing is what drives genuine comprehension and recall.

Drawing in the crowd

A large external monitor displayed the simulation in real time to passersby, turning every active user into a live advertisement for the booth. The exhibit became a spectacle, not just a stand.

Guided UI overlays inside the simulation ensured that even first-time users understood what they were experiencing without needing a human guide at every moment.