Currently used procedures in room acoustics measurements are not automated. Particularly in medium-sized and large areas they require a lot of time and intensive labour which directly translates into an increase in the measurement cost. Introduction of an automated system would increase efficiency of the measurements, and therefore could present both practical and scientific benefit. The paper presents initial feasibility study for designing a system that permits the measurement of selected acoustic parameters for any choice of three-dimensional grid of measurement points throughout the volume of the room. The system will utilize an autonomous probe attached to a blimp, and will be able to measure and analyze acoustic characteristics of the rooms. The article discusses the initial choices of the system elements, starting from the general idea, through the mechanical design and control procedures, the software that controls positioning and flying of the probe, up to the automation of the measurement procedure and its possible impact on the acoustic field.

The absolute positions of shearers on advancing coal faces are requisite for providing references for adaptive mining combined with geological models. Common coalmine localization techniques (e.g. UWB, INS, etc.) are not fully applicable to adaptive mining due to their drifting error or the messy environment. The gyro robotic total station (RTS) is versatile and precise in measuring coordinates in coal mines, while its conventional usage is of low automation and poor timeliness, impeding its application on mining faces. This article proposed an automated gyro RTS system for real-time absolute positioning on fully mechanised coal faces. The measuring process was changed to fit mining requirements, and a new state-transferring model was used to automate it. Programs were developed and installed in available instruments, forming a prototype. Field experiments were carried out on a simulative working face, verifying the system’s accuracy and applicability. Results show that the relative positioning error is better than 2.6143×10-4, which meets the demand of advancing faces. The error of the gyro is estimated at 55.5187”, justifying its nominal indicators. To sum up, the automated gyro RTS system proposed in this paper can offer real-time and accurate absolute positions of equipment on working faces, supporting adaptive mining combined with the geological model.