Turning Blind Spots into Bright Ideas: LoopX’s Vision for Safer Mines

Electrical Engineer James Zhang, Senior Robotics Engineer Mars Wang, Chief Technology Officer Lucas Cui, and LoopX Founder Chao Yu celebrate LoopX implementation at an Ontario production mine.

Electrical Engineer James Zhang, Senior Robotics Engineer Mars Wang, Chief Technology Officer Lucas Cui, and LoopX Founder Chao Yu celebrate LoopX implementation at an Ontario production mine.

Chao Yu started with a bold vision: to make mining safer and smarter through advanced technology. Once a PhD student at the University of Waterloo, Yu had been researching autonomous driving on public roads. “I closely followed how public-road autonomy struggled with unpredictable real-world environments,” he explains. “After speaking with many mining operators, I realized these same technologies could deliver meaningful impact in controlled, low-speed, confined environments like underground mines—where visibility is poor, accidents are common, and safety challenges intensify as mines go deeper.” That insight sparked the creation of LoopX.

The company, now based in Sudbury and Waterloo, builds AI-powered systems that combine cameras, LiDAR, and edge computing to improve collision avoidance, situational awareness, and even autonomous capabilities for mining operations. These solutions are designed for the unique challenges of underground and surface mines.

Their mission: to bring advanced AI and robotics into the mining industry to prevent accidents, improve visibility, increase productivity, and pave the way toward safe and autonomous mining.

The journey wasn’t without obstacles. “In our first two years, we struggled to identify a scalable business model and went through several failed product trials,” Yu recalls. “Mining is a conservative industry, and proving reliability underground requires deep trust, extensive testing and continuous iteration.” LoopX overcame these hurdles by embedding its team in real mining sites, listening to operators, and focusing on identifiable hazards rather than distant objectives. According to Yu, “Focusing on solving immediate safety challenges, rather than overly futuristic goals, allowed us to gain traction and build credibility.”

That persistence paid off. By early 2024, LoopX launched its Collision Avoidance System (CAS) commercially, and acceptance was swift, with the industry proving eager to adopt the innovative technology. Today, LoopX is deployed or piloting with major operators like Vale, Agnico Eagle, and Cementation. Mining companies in Northern Ontario who have adopted the LoopX system have benefited from reduced equipment idle times, improved operational efficiency, and enhanced safety, leading to significant cost savings and increased productivity.

Senior Robotics Engineer Mars Wang and LoopX founder Chao Yu at the NORCAT Underground Testing Mine. Extensive testing went in to perfecting the LoopX technology before implementing it in confined, low-visibility environments.

Senior Robotics Engineer Mars Wang and LoopX founder Chao Yu at the NORCAT Underground Testing Mine. Extensive testing went in to perfecting the LoopX technology before implementing it in confined, low-visibility environments.

This success was fueled by strong support from Northern Ontario’s innovation ecosystem, including NORCAT, Northern Ontario Angels, and FedNor. “FedNor’s support has been instrumental,” said Yu. “Their funding enabled us to expand our R&D and deployment capabilities, hire local talent, and accelerate pilot projects with mining partners across the region.”

LoopX’s impact is already clear. “Our systems have helped operators detect and prevent near-miss incidents, enhance visibility in hazardous environments, and identify operational inefficiencies,” the founder notes. Beyond customer benefits, LoopX is contributing to the regional economy by hiring locally, partnering with local organizations, and helping position the area as a global hub for mining technology. The project has created high-value jobs in Northern Ontario in AI development, data analysis, software engineering, and field operations. Existing jobs will be retained and upskilled to support the deployment and maintenance of the AI-powered analytics system.

Looking ahead, the company has big plans. “We are scaling our systems to more production mines in 2025 and expanding our product suite to combine real-time safety, autonomous navigation, and AI-powered operational intelligence,” says Yu. The long-term vision is ambitious: “to build the core ‘intelligence layer’ that enables safer, smarter, and eventually autonomous mining operations worldwide.”

LoopX isn’t just building technology—it’s shaping the future of mining.

Learn more about the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative and the types of programs FedNor supports.