IoT-Enabled Smart Mining Safety and Surveillance Robot using ESP32 and DTMF Communication

Underground mining environments expose workers to severe risks including toxic gases, temperature fluctuations, structural instability, and low-visibility conditions. Traditional inspection techniques require human entry into potentially hazardous zones, increasing operational risk and delaying hazard identification. This paper presents the design and implementation of an IoT-enabled mining safety and surveillance robot capable of remote teleoperation and real-time environmental monitoring. The proposed system utilizes an ESP32 microcontroller for cloud-based IoT communication and an Arduino Uno for DTMF-based navigation control. Environmental parameters including air temperature, humidity, air quality index, soil temperature, and soil moisture are continuously monitored using integrated sensors and transmitted to the Blynk IoT dashboard for real-time visualization. A smartphone-based live surveillance system is also integrated for navigation assistance and remote visual inspection. Experimental evaluation demonstrated stable operation, low control latency, and reliable cloud-based hazard alerting. The proposed system provides a practical, scalable, and cost-effective solution for improving safety in underground mining operations.