Rexsoft Uses Machine Vision to Protect Mining Conveyors From Contamination Damage
Rexsoft has developed a hardware-software platform based on machine vision technology to detect contaminating elements on conveyor belts at mining and processing plants. The system searches for foreign objects in ore streams while also monitoring belt conditions.
When the platform detects large foreign objects such as scrap metal, rubber or wood, it sends operators an alert identifying the exact location of the object on the conveyor belt. The system can also automatically stop equipment until the blockage is removed. In practice, that gives crushing equipment an additional layer of protection against potentially costly failures.
Trials conducted at a large industrial site produced notable results. Unplanned plant downtime declined by 10%, savings on spare parts increased by 5%, and conveyor repair times were reduced. The platform could prove attractive for mining and processing plants and other industrial operations that rely on conveyor transport systems. The solution is suitable for all types of hard-rock minerals where contaminating elements can be identified visually.
Importantly, the system also stores data on incidents and conveyor belt wear, creating a foundation for specialized industrial analytics.
Building an Independent Technology Stack
The platform is fully independent from foreign technology suppliers. The system is not tied to any specific manufacturer of cameras or industrial equipment, which improves deployment flexibility across different mining sites. Any supplier capable of meeting customer requirements and operating conditions can provide the video cameras and related hardware components.
That reduces mining companies’ dependence on foreign computer vision systems, industrial analytics software and predictive monitoring technologies. As a result, an industry that is critical for exports, metallurgy, energy production and infrastructure projects gains additional operational resilience.
The developer behind the platform, Rexsoft, specializes in business digital transformation, custom software development, industrial automation and consulting. Notably, the company created Russia’s first online store and the ASSIST payment system in 1998, laying the groundwork for large-scale online payments in the country. Rexsoft’s development accelerated significantly in 2005 after the company secured $2 million in direct investment from a venture capital fund.
In 2018, the company developed Russia’s first digital freight forwarder platform, while in 2023 it received the Global CIO “Project of the Year” award in the “Best Media Platform Project” category for its Mobile Resource Management System (MRMS). Among the company’s notable industrial developments is a robotic rock breaker created jointly with Nornickel. The system uses machine vision and lidar technologies to crush oversized rock fragments after blasting operations.
Rexsoft also developed the ASU OGR automated open-pit mining management system. The platform is designed to control production processes, optimize equipment utilization and monitor execution against production plans. It includes modules for heavy equipment tracking, intrashift planning, plan-versus-actual analysis and control of technological operations. In 2025, the solution was added to Russia’s unified registry of domestic software.
Another important contribution to the mining sector is a digital monitoring system for copper matte converting processes based on spectrometry. By analyzing off-gas spectra in real time, the platform determines residual iron content and identifies the optimal moment to complete individual process stages. The project was named a finalist for the Russian Mining Award in the “Breakthrough Solution of the Year” category.
From Detection to Full Industrial Monitoring
According to industry specialists, the new platform could evolve from a contamination detection tool into a broader industrial monitoring system capable of predicting accidents, analyzing the causes of oversized material entering conveyor lines and integrating with industrial automation systems, MES platforms, maintenance and repair systems, and digital twins. That aligns with broader mining-sector trends as demand for domestic industrial AI systems, predictive maintenance technologies and Russian-built digital solutions is expected to grow in 2026.
Demand for digitalization across the mining industry today is driven not only by monetization goals, but also by labor shortages, tightening safety requirements, regulatory pressure and the need for greater process transparency.
If the platform’s economic impact continues to be confirmed, Rexsoft’s hardware-software complex could become part of a broader class of Russian “smart factory” solutions for mining operations, combining machine vision, industrial AI, predictive maintenance and independent automation systems.
