This survey article provides a synopsis on some of the engineering problems, technological innovations, robotic development and automation efforts encountered in the mining industry -- particularly in the Pilbara iron-ore region of Western Australia. The goal is to paint the technology landscape and highlight issues relevant to an engineering audience to raise awareness of AI and automation trends in mining. It assumes the reader has no prior knowledge of mining and builds context gradually through focused discussion and short summaries of common open-pit mining operations. The principal activities that take place may be categorized in terms of resource development, mine-, rail- and port operations. From mineral exploration to ore shipment, there are roughly nine steps in between. These include: geological assessment, mine planning and development, production drilling and assaying, blasting and excavation, transportation of ore and waste, crush and screen, stockpile and load-out, rail network distribution, and ore-car dumping. The objective is to describe these processes and provide insights on some of the challenges/opportunities from the perspective of a decade-long industry-university R&D partnership.

翻译：本综述文章概述了采矿工业中遇到的工程技术问题、技术创新、机器人开发及自动化成果——尤其聚焦于西澳大利亚皮尔巴拉铁矿区。旨在描绘技术全景，突出与工程领域读者相关的议题，以提升对采矿行业人工智能与自动化趋势的认知。文章假定读者无采矿知识背景，通过聚焦式讨论与常见露天采矿作业的简短总结，逐步构建上下文感知。采矿主要活动可归纳为资源开发、矿区运营、铁路运营与港口运营四大板块。从矿产勘探到矿石装运，其间大致包含九个步骤：地质评估、矿山规划与开发、生产钻孔与化验、爆破与挖掘、矿石与废石运输、破碎与筛分、堆存与装载、铁路网络调度、矿石翻卸。本文旨在阐述这些工艺流程，并基于长达十年的产学研合作研发视角，揭示其中的挑战与机遇。