Research led by Jasper Baure and Gabriel Steinberg, founders of the Demining Research community, have been working on using drone technology that can identify mines. Combining various sensors such as thermal and multispectral and combining the data with machine learning algorithms, the team is on a mission to develop a low-cost solution to the hidden dangers of landmines.
Mines laid during conflicts often are never recovered and pose a danger to both humans and wildlife many years after the conflict ends. The Landmine and Clustered Munitions Monitor report that at least 7000 people were killed or injured in 54 countries and areas last year. Many of the groups trying to remove these old munitions aren’t nonprofits with a fraction of military resources and rely heavily upon manual searches to find potential dangers.
Researchers are looking to leverage drone technology to help mitigate the dangers mine pose and make it readily available to organizations working towards mine disposal.
