CityUHK's State Key Laboratory Of Terahertz And Millimeter Waves Joins Hands With CCTEG, Exploring 6G Applications For Smart Mining In A 600-Metre Underground Site Inspection

City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK)’s State Key Laboratory of Terahertz and Millimeter Waves (SKLTMW) is committed to advancing cutting-edge communications technologies and translating research excellence into real-world applications. From 24 to 27 June, Professor Wong Hang, Deputy Director of the SKLTMW, led a delegation to Zezhou County, Jincheng, Shanxi province, for a four-day site study and technical exchange programme centred on the “6G Mining Communications Laboratory Development Project”.

During the visit, the delegation toured the Tiandi Wangpo Coal Mine in Shanxi, under the China Coal Technology and Engineering Group (CCTEG), and engaged in in-depth exchanges with researchers from CCTEG-affiliated institutes, the intelligent mining demonstration team at Tiandi Wangpo Coal Mine and equipment control enterprises. Through extensive discussions and on-site inspections, the team explored how CityUHK’s advanced antenna and wireless communications technologies could contribute to the development of smart mines and improve coal mine safety.

Guided by practical application scenarios within state-owned enterprises, the visit leveraged the SKLTMW’s research strengths in antenna design, radio-frequency communications, wireless networking, reconfigurable antennas and complex electromagnetic environments. Discussions focused on addressing key challenges in underground mining operations, including communications coverage, non-line-of-sight transmission, personnel positioning, sensor data transmission and emergency communications.

Professor Wong and his team travelled approximately 600 metres underground at Tiandi Wangpo Coal Mine to inspect first-hand the communications conditions faced by frontline mining operations. They examined the operations of fully mechanised coal mining faces, underground roadways, communications base stations, personnel positioning systems, and monitoring and surveillance systems. The visit provided valuable on-site insights to support the design of future technical solutions and pilot applications.

During the exchange sessions, participants discussed the feasibility of a range of technical approaches, including optimising antennas deployed at existing mine communications base stations, integrating lightweight wireless self-organising networks with underground infrastructure, utilising reconfigurable intelligent surfaces to improve wireless coverage in tunnel bends and obstructed environments, and assessing the impact of complex electromagnetic environments generated by intelligent mining equipment on communications and sensing systems.

These research directions are expected to provide new technological support for underground communications network deployment, precise personnel positioning, life detection, and emergency rescue operations in mining environments.

The Shanxi visit marked another important step in strengthening industry-academia-research collaboration between the SKLTMW and state-owned enterprises. It also underscores CityUHK’s commitment to integrating Hong Kong’s research strengths with the practical needs of the nation’s energy industry. Through collaboration with the CCTEG’s research platforms, the intelligent mining demonstration scenarios at Tiandi Wangpo Coal Mine and specialist equipment control teams, the SKLTMW will accelerate research and development, pilot testing and laboratory construction under the 6G mining communications initiative, contributing to the high-quality development of smart mines and improving workplace safety and emergency response capabilities.

Established in March 2008 with the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the SKLTMW is Hong Kong’s first State Key Laboratory in the engineering discipline. The SKLTMW is dedicated to advancing the development and applications of millimetre-wave and terahertz technologies.