On 16–17 June 2026, Copenhagen hosted the mid-term review of MINOTAUR, a project funded under Horizon Europe. The project develops autonomous robotic systems for mineral exploration in challenging underground conditions. The consortium, coordinated by Anton Koval, includes the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Luleå University of Technology, University of Patras, Instituto Superior Técnico, IMA-Europe, TERNA S.A. and Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Our university and the Digital Mining Center team were represented by Dr Magdalena Worsa-Kozak and Adam Wróblewski.
The meeting, hosted by Matteo Fumagalli of DTU, was attended by Ewelina Rathje, Marek Praski, and the entire consortium. After detailed technical discussions on the project’s progress, participants had the opportunity to see its results in practice.
DTU’s Control, Robotics and Embodied AI (CREA) group presented a demonstrator of the next-generation propulsion and force-delivery module, designed for resilient mobility in confined and unstructured underground environments. Live demonstrations and technical discussions showed how mechatronic design, embodied intelligence, and AI-driven autonomy can transform underground exploration, geotechnical assessment, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring.
The MINOTAUR project shows how international cooperation contributes to European innovation and highlights the growing relevance of autonomous systems for extreme environments and sustainable practices in mineral exploration.
