tailion
tailionepiroc

Redefining the Lifecycle of Mine Waste

concept

Tailion is a screw-propelled autonomous vehicle envisioned as a ten-year ecosystem for tailings storage facilities. Built around a modular architecture and operated via remote supervision, it navigates extreme tailings terrain to carry out monitoring, maintenance, and mineral re-extraction, transforming one of mining's largest environmental liabilities into a profitable asset.

info

Umeå Institute of Design

Epiroc

2026

Nicolò Vincenzi

Tailion autonomous mine waste management system full view

context

The trajectory of the mining industry is changing,
shaped by new economy trends.

Decarbonization, electrification, and digital infrastructures are redefining what the world needs from the ground.

Touchscreen

Indium

Tin

Silica

Aluminum

Yttrium

Europium

Logic Board

Silicon

Copper

Gold

Tantalum

Tin

Silver

Evolving our mineral requirements

Demand increase in the last 50y

The mining industry is unable to keep up with this accelerated demand

Strategic mineral demand is accelerating, but the mining industry is caught between two compounding failures: output from existing mines has plateaued, while new operations take longer and face harder barriers to approval. Together, these pressures are creating a structural supply deficit the industry cannot close with current approaches.

Closure & Rehabilitation
is the most neglected step in the process

  1. 1

    8-10+ years

    Exploration

  2. 2

    10+ years

    Assessment

  3. 3

    1-3+ years

    Development

  4. 4

    10-30+ years

    Operations

  5. 5

    4-5+ years

    Closure & Rehabilitation

Tailings are a major part in this issue

Tailings are a by-product of the metal and mineral extraction process, taking the form of a slurry made of fine metal, crushed rock and water.

Tailings facility process overview from mining to storage
1

Rock containing minerals and metals are mined from the earth and processed to separate the minerals and metals.

2

The mined rock is finely ground and mixed with water and sometimes chemicals to separate minerals and metals.

3

Once the desired minerals or metals are extracted from the finely ground rock, fines, the waste that remains is in the form of a slurry, known as tailings.

4

This slurry can be processed to a sand-like material and transported to a dry stack, or pumped in its wet state into a reservoir with a dam.

Tailings' danger erodes community trust, stalling mining operations.
Brumadinho dam disasterBrazil - 2019

What if we could transform
the liability of tailings,
into a profitable resource?

1

Physical hazards

Fine particles liquefy when saturated. Tailings act like quicksand under load.

2

Processing residues

Extraction chemicals — like cyanide — can remain in the waste.

3

Metal contamination

Heavy and radioactive elements can leach into soil and water.

1

Residual metals

Legacy tailings often hold higher metal grades than modern mines discard.

2

Coarse material

Coarser sediments can be recovered for construction reuse.

3

Water

Reprocessing can recover 60–85% of water from old facilities.

Remote dashboard

An intelligent dashboard determines the unique facility needs

A remote operator can remotely manage the facility and tasks from a safe office space, improving work safety and reducing the problem of mine labour shortage

Tailion remote digital dashboard showing fleet telemetry and digital twin data on dual displays

Tailion HUB

Tailion HUB is shipped

Using standardized containers to make it cost effective, convenient and predictable.

Tailion HUB container transported on truck at a shipping port
Exploded view of the Tailion HUB modular container system

Module loading

Modules for different tasks are installed with a drive-through interaction

A heavy duty mounting bracket on top of the vehicle, guides the different modules in place, when they are lowered from the ceiling of the docking station.

Tailion modules installed on the vehicle mounting bracket, viewed from below

Propulsion system

It's more than just driving from a point A to point B,
the helix propulsion system heals the terrain while doing so

Archimedes screw propulsion makes Tailion a semi-amphibious vehicle, capable of driving on all types of tailings terrain, and passively healing the terrain, by accelerating the water evaporation and consolidation process.

≈2100kg

Optimal total vehicle weight supported

≈4222kg

Absolute maximum displacement

Tailion screw drive carving a track through dry, cracked tailings
Accelerates soil consolidation
Compatible with any terrain, during any weather conditions
Tailion autonomous vehicle on tailings terrain

Surface monitoring

The first module scans the superficial area of the facility, creating a precise digital twin

Thanks to integrated spinning lidar and hyperspectral cameras, the first module approximates the soil water content and composition, determining challenging areas to drive on, optimizing execution times for future tasks.

Tailion superficial scan module monitoring tailings surface conditions
Superficial scan module mounted on the Tailion vehicle

In-depth analysis

In-depth soil composition & stability analysis

after surface monitoring, the Cone Penetration Test (CPT) module drives a cone into the tailings terrain to measure stability and minerals composition. This helps to divide areas based on intervention urgency and type.

Close-up of the CPT module chuck and drive mechanism

Tailings re-mining

Upgrading to the re-extraction module, to extract residual minerals from tailings

Once the dashboard determines the economical presence of minerals, mining companies can upgrade the system with a cutting-suction articulated head that breaks the soils and pumps tailings for a second round of processing, turning a liability into a secondary resource stream.

Close-up of the Tailion valorization module on the vehicle
Close-up of the re-mining cutting head mechanism

Safety and maintenance

Designed for safe interaction and long operational lifecycles

Pulsating status lights communicate system state at a distance, while ergonomic access points and clear cleaning zones keep modules serviceable in harsh tailings environments—reducing downtime without compromising operator safety.

Concept Development

From virtual exploration to physical prototype

Virtual reality helped explore scale, proportions, and interaction early, while physical prototypes brought the screw-propulsion form to life.

Designer using VR during Tailion development
Sanding the Tailion prototype during concept development
Presenting Tailion at UID Talks