Sandvik launches xCell® Banshee and xCell® Hydra for digital ground support monitoring
Sandvik today announced the launch of xCell® Banshee and xCell® Hydra, two new digital ground support solutions designed to provide unprecedented insight into rock bolt performance and ground behavior. Introduced at the ACG Caving Conference 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the solutions strengthen the company’s growing portfolio of digital ground support technologies and support mining operations in improving safety, productivity and decision-making.
As mining operations continue to move deeper underground and geotechnical conditions become increasingly complex, access to reliable ground support data is critical. xCell® Banshee and xCell® Hydra are integrated into Sandvik’s Digital Ground Support Platform, enabling mine operators to collect, analyze and act on real-time information about ground conditions, rock bolt status and asset integrity.
“Digitalization is transforming the way mines manage ground support,” said Osvaldo Vallati, Product Manager Digital Products, Ground Support at Sandvik. “With xCell® Banshee and xCell® Hydra, customers gain access to valuable data that enables proactive decision-making, improved workforce utilization and a deeper understanding of underground conditions. These solutions help make mining operations safer while optimizing the performance and lifecycle of ground support systems.”
xCell® Banshee: Transforming every MD/MDX Bolt into a potential monitoring point
xCell® Banshee provides digital monitoring of consumed capacity for Sandvik MD and MDX Bolts. By enabling in-service testing and condition assessment of installed bolts, the solution delivers valuable insights into bolt performance and ground support effectiveness throughout the life of an excavation.
The solution is designed around a measurable version of the MD and MDX Bolt, featuring a unique identification system that ensures secure allocation of measurement results within the Digital Ground Support Platform. Importantly, the measurable design requires no changes to the standard bolt installation process and is planned to become the standard production version of MD and MDX Bolts over time, without additional hardware costs.
By providing visibility into consumed bolt capacity and long-term ground behavior, xCell® Banshee enables more informed rehabilitation planning, optimized support designs and enhanced mine-wide integrity monitoring. Geotechnical teams can spend less time collecting data and more time interpreting it, helping to improve operational efficiency while reducing rehabilitation costs.
xCell® Hydra: Continuous monitoring of embedded rock bolts
xCell® Hydra extends digital monitoring capabilities even further through continuous measurement of consumed capacity in embedded rock bolts. The solution combines instrumented bolts with an intelligent battery-powered data logger, enabling reliable real-time data collection and wireless transmission of critical ground support information.
Multiple configurable measurement points along the bolt provide a detailed deformation profile and visibility into bolt performance over time. The system supports connecting up to nine bolts to one data logger and uses the same installation process as a standard bolt, simplifying deployment in underground environments.
Together with xCell Professor® drive-by data collection technology, xCell® Hydra enables efficient collection of monitoring data at speeds of up to 30 km/h, allowing mines to obtain continuous insights while minimizing operational disruption. The resulting data supports ground support optimization, validation of installation tensioning, improved understanding of seismic and ground movement behavior and more effective rehabilitation planning.
One platform for intelligent ground support
Both xCell® Banshee and xCell® Hydra are fully integrated into Sandvik’s Digital Ground Support Platform, a cloud-based environment that consolidates essential data, analytics and documentation from multiple digital ground support solutions into a single system. The platform provides customers with a comprehensive view of ground support performance, supporting data-driven decisions that improve safety, increase operational efficiency and contribute to more sustainable mining operations.
The launches of xCell® Banshee and xCell® Hydra represent an important step in Sandvik’s strategy to digitalize ground support and enhance underground mining safety. By transforming rock bolts into intelligent sources of geotechnical information, these solutions help mining companies move from reactive ground support management to predictive, data-driven decision-making.
For further information, please contact:
Sabrina Keller
Specialist External Communication and Brand, Ground Support
Sandvik
Email: sabrina.keller@sandvik.com