When you think of mining, what comes to your mind?  Coal miners deep inside dark caverns within the earth?  Most of us recall the Chilean miners, “Los 33” (“the 33”), trapped in the Chilean mine in 2010 and rescued after 69 days.  The other mines that might come to mind are the South Africa mineral mines where most of the worlds natural resources are mined, approximately 90% of the planets platinum resources, 80% of it's manganese, 73% of it's chrome, 45% of it's vanadium and 41% of it's gold resources are produced in South Africa. The only exceptions to SA's bounty are crude oil and bauxite. Whether coal mining, mineral mining or oil drilling all of these resource-gathering activities use cameras in a variety of ways.  Cameras are used for the actual extraction processes and for safety of the miners.  The video below shows rugged robotic cameras used in diamond mining. [embed width="123" height="456"]http://youtu.be/M_sJ00prYbc[/embed] IR thermal imaging cameras offer the ability to see in dark, foggy or dust filled environments.  Mining is a process that involves the use of heavy equipment.  There are large trucks, cranes, robotics and other moving apparatus that present danger to humans.  The ability to have infrared thermal imaging cameras on different equipment to aid in the viewing process creates safer environments for miners.  Operators can easily view monitors connected to thermal cameras to detect the presences of humans in close proximity to their equipment and avoid accidents. [caption id="attachment_5217" align="alignright" width="368"]HeavyEquipmentExample Heavy Equipment Photo by MathKnight, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tzama02.jpg[/caption] Manufacturers and heavy equipment integrators are integrating high quality thermal cameras and high definition visible light cameras on heavy equipment.  Mining companies are also purchasing after-market solutions to provide safety on existing equipment.  Trucks like the one below are outfitted with cameras on the exterior and a monitor in the cab for safety. Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. is a distributor of cameras for the purposes of integration into high quality robotics and remote monitoring equipment.  Manufacturers and system integrators work with Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. to develop complete systems of original equipment (OEM).  Aegis can help provide the right components for a design solution, from cameras, lenses, monitors, cables, interfaces, housings, mounts and custom housings.