Abstract: An excavation machine for hard rock mining which is relatively inexpensive, is mobile and versatile, is relatively light in weight (weighing no more than eight metric tons including power and control units and equipment for automation) and has the ability to make tight turns in any direction to follow a mineral vein and thereby avoid needless evacuation of undesired rock. The machine uses a cutter and reaming head mounted on a boom with two activator or rocker cylinders and excavates by applying a large impact or crushing cutting force in a repetitive manner, generally known as impact ripping.