Toward Safer Underground Mines: A Review of Intelligent Inspection Technologies

Underground mining safety and productivity are increasingly challenged by deeper extraction, complex geological conditions, confined workspaces, and dynamic production activities. Hazards such as rock instability, hazardous gases, water inrush, equipment failures, and limited visibility restrict the effectiveness of conventional inspection and expose personnel to high-risk underground environments. Intelligent inspection technologies, integrating advanced sensing, mobile robotic platforms, communication systems, and artificial intelligence, provide emerging solutions for continuous monitoring, condition assessment, and early risk warning. This review synthesizes recent advances in intelligent inspection technologies for underground mines across six major targets: rock mass conditions, ground support systems, ventilation systems, haulage systems, personnel safety, and underground water hazards. Representative technologies, practical applications, and current limitations are summarized. Future research directions are discussed with an emphasis on multi-source information integration, autonomous inspection, intelligent decision support, and reliable field deployment. This review aims to support the development of safer, more efficient, and more resilient underground mining operations.