Sandvik Launches xCell Banshee and Hydra for Digital Ground Monitoring

New solutions enable real-time rock bolt monitoring, ground behavior analysis and data-driven decisions to improve safety, efficiency and support performance underground.  www.home.sandvik Sandvik has announced the deployment of its xCell Banshee and xCell Hydra digital ground support technologies, engineered to track rock bolt performance and analyze ground behavior. These monitoring solutions target underground mining operations, providing geotechnical engineers with real-time data to assess excavation stability and manage structural integrity. Geotechnical Data Collection and Cloud Integration As mining operations expand deeper underground, managing complex geotechnical conditions requires continuous access to ground support data. The new digital solutions provide empirical metrics on rock mass behavior and support performance. Introduced at the ACG Caving Conference 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the hardware systems feed directly into the Sandvik Digital Ground Support Platform. This cloud-based architecture consolidates analytics and documentation, shifting mine safety strategies from reactive maintenance to predictive, data-driven planning. In-Service Capacity Monitoring for Standard Bolts The xCell Banshee system facilitates the digital monitoring of consumed capacity for standard Sandvik MD and MDX Bolts. By integrating a unique identification system into a measurable version of these bolts, the technology enables condition assessments without altering the standard bolt installation process. The system tracks the consumed bolt capacity and long-term ground behavior over the lifecycle of the excavation. Over time, this measurable design is planned to replace the standard production versions of MD and MDX bolts without introducing additional hardware costs, allowing geotechnical teams to optimize support designs and reduce rehabilitation overhead. Continuous Embedded Bolt Analysis and Mobile Retrieval For continuous monitoring, the xCell Hydra system measures the consumed capacity of embedded rock bolts using instrumented hardware connected to an intelligent, battery-powered data logger. The system records multiple configurable measurement points along the length of the bolt to generate a detailed deformation profile. A single data logger supports up to nine connected bolts, utilizing standard installation methods to simplify deployment. To extract the recorded telemetry, the system pairs with xCell Professor drive-by data collection technology, which captures the wireless transmission of ground support data at vehicle speeds of up to 30 km/h. This high-speed retrieval mechanism allows mine operators to validate installation tensioning and track seismic ground movement without disrupting subterranean traffic. Centralized Analytical Architecture Both the xCell Banshee and xCell Hydra systems operate within the unified Digital Ground Support Platform. Consolidating the telemetry into a single environment allows operators to visualize the performance of their ground support systems across the entire mine. Osvaldo Vallati, Product Manager Digital Products, Ground Support at Sandvik, stated that accessing this continuous data stream enables proactive decision-making, improves workforce utilization, and optimizes the operational lifecycle of installed ground support systems. Additional Context: This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original product announcement Within the underground rock reinforcement market, monitoring bolt deformation typically relies on fiber optic sensors or resistive strain gauges connected to localized wireless nodes or manual readout equipment. While equipment manufacturers such as Epiroc focus heavily on automating the physical installation process through automated bolting rigs and pumpable resin systems, persistent digital monitoring often requires the integration of third-party geotechnical sensors. The Sandvik xCell Hydra differentiates its architecture by employing a proprietary drive-by data acquisition mechanism capable of logging sensor telemetry at 30 km/h. This mobile retrieval method bypasses the need for continuous underground mesh networks or static manual inspections, providing a quantifiable operational advantage for high-traffic subterranean environments where maintaining permanent wireless infrastructure is cost-prohibitive. Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals editor, assisted by AI. www.mining.sandvik.com Powered by Induportals Media Publishing