A New Approach to Humanitarian Demining

Abstract

Landmines can deprive whole areas of valuable resources, and continue to kill and cause injuries years after the end of armed conflicts. Armored vehicles are used for mine clearance, but with limited reliability. The final inspection of minefields is still performed by human deminers exposed to potentially fatal accidents. The aim of this research is to introduce automation as a way to improve the final level of humanitarian demining. This paper addresses mobility and manipulation, while sensing, communication and visualization shall be discussed in detail in a subsequent paper. After analyzing the merits and limitations of previous works, a new approach to tele-operated demining is considered, using off-road buggies equipped with combustion engines, and taking into account actual field requirements. Control of the automated buggies on rough terrain is also discussed, as well as the development of a new weight-balanced manipulator for landmine clearance operations.

Humanitarian Demining Robot Gryphon – Current Status And An Objective Evaluation –

“…The mobile platform is a commercially available 4-wheeled ATV powered by a gasoline engine. It was modified for remote operation [8], and is equipped with mechanisms to actuate its steering, throttle, brakes and gear change by remote control. The engine's alternator also provides all the electric energy needed onboard (manipulator, mine detector, control system, etc.).…”

Humanitarian Demining Serial-Tracked Robot: Design and Dynamic Modeling

“…The removal of explosive mines from war-affected areas has become a major emergency because they can cause serious injuries or even the death of innocent civilians, affect the daily, ordinary activities of citizens, prevent economic and social development, which can lead to the isolation of the country or the affected region, respectively to the resettlement of citizens in other countries [1][2][3]. The UN Mine Action Service estimates that there are still approximately 100 million landmines buried in more than 70 countries (United Nations Mine Action Service, 2001) [4]. For example, according to the UN Mine Action Service report [3], between 2016 and 2021, APMs (anti-personal mines) and ERW (explosive remnants of war) injured at least 689 people in Colombia-380 survivors suffered partial or total hearing loss, 140 suffered permanent visual loss, 139 suffered amputations, and at least 86 people died from an APM or ERW event.…”

Exploración y reconstrucción tridimensional de entornos mediante robots móviles

“…Existen robots comerciales, caracterizados por lo general por un coste elevado y un carácter altamente especializado (ver . Tenemos, por ejemplo, robots desactivación de explosivos o desminado (Debenest, Fukushima, Tojo, & Hirose, 2005), (Freese, y otros, 2007), robots para aplicaciones militares o que manejan y transportan sustancias peligrosas o radioactivas, como los utilizados durante el accidente nuclear de Fukushima (Murphy R. , 2011).…”