Aug 25, 2015· The mining industry in 2016: Sensors, robots, and drones (oh my!) Which is why mining companies like Glencore ( No. 10 on Fortune's 2015 Global 500 list), BHP Billiton ( No. 139 ), Rio Tinto ( No. 222 ), and Vale ( No. 312) are turning to technology in the form of Internetconnected sensors and software—to stay out of treacherous, remote areas and reap the savings from not sending people to .