I think a specialised drone mining barge could be nice for the game.
It doesn’t need to mine more than the existing barges, just mine in a different way.
The downside of mining drones that don’t get buffed by mining boosts can even be a unique strength and role for such a drone-based mining ship: it makes a perfect solo mining barge with above average yield for solo miners but below average for fleet miners.
A few years ago I had a similar idea to give the Retriever a more unique role by turning it into a solo drone mining barge, but a new hull would be good too.
For reference: Solo Drone Mining Barge - Retriever Redesign