IGO: The digital companion for mining workers created by Chileans

The startup is looking for investors to move forward with the development and commercialization of the platform.

A team of tech entrepreneurs is developing a system that provides a digital assistant in a key area for the country: mining. Data from the Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco) show that in 2021, revenue from mining taxes amounted to USD 9,594 million, 18.9% of total tax revenue. The impact and importance of mining in Chile is undeniable. That is why improving its productivity is also an ongoing challenge.

IGO (https://igo.cl/) is the startup working to advance this software, which runs partly in the cloud and supports workers, explains Hernán Benavente, a computer engineer from Universidad Santa María and CEO of IGO: “It seeks to empower people who work in isolated conditions by giving them, through a mobile device, a digital companion that assists them in their various day-to-day activities and also lets them report the problems they encountered, to make the process more efficient”.

Isolated environments

Since 2012, IGO’s founding team has been developing custom technology solutions for complex industries such as mining, digitizing activities performed by people in complex geographic environments, that is, where a worker is outdoors, exposed to rain, sun or toxic elements, and where geographic dispersion makes supervision unfeasible.

In 2021, IGO won Desafío Avante, an open innovation competition run by the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) and Know Hub Chile. In 2022, it was also selected under Startup Ciencia and by the Aster accelerator, linked to Magical Startups, as part of its portfolio.

Mining companies usually try to make the process more efficient by improving machine productivity, Benavente explains, but they have not explored the impact of empowering workers. “Through a mobile device, we give them information that complements their work, helping them pay attention to the risks of the task, how the work is done, and so on, and in this way make the process more efficient”, he says.

In work environments such as mining, where workers are often disconnected, information is not always available in a user-friendly or quick way. Or they take folders full of paper into the field, which doesn’t make their work any easier either. “The idea is that they can access all that information completely offline, digitally, and in a way that is simple to understand and report, so that it doesn’t interfere with their work”, says IGO’s CEO.

Many industries have this problem. “In underground mining only a few companies have connectivity, and there are many places where complex and dangerous work is done in the middle of nowhere, such as installing antennas, inspecting pipelines, etc.”, he notes.

Mining

Some large companies have their own systems to solve these problems. But in mining, around 70% of the workforce is subcontracted, according to 2021 Cochilco data, which makes it even more urgent to have cross-cutting, efficient systems that provide access to information at all times.

Moreover, Benavente stresses, even when they have these tools, they don’t analyze worker behavior or aren’t user-friendly. Workers in the field often lack useful, easily accessible information to help them do their job or assess the risks around them. To encourage use in a positive way, he adds, they apply gamification techniques, giving points to workers who upload photos, for example.

“That way, the profile of the worker who was able to solve problems becomes available to others, which empowers them. In the future we want to include training courses, emotional support, etc. Our aim is to improve process efficiency, but with a focus on worker well-being, so that if they do their job efficiently and safely, it will have a positive impact on operations. That is the goal”.

IGO is currently in the validation and packaging phase and is being evaluated to work with the Chilean Navy and the Integrated Center for Mining Technology Piloting, its CEO adds.

To achieve all this progress, it has investors such as the technology transfer organization Know Hub Chile, the Aster accelerator, which works jointly with BHP, and the technology company Neosoltec. “We are looking for new investors to evolve the product and bring it to the Latin American market”, Benavente emphasizes.