Humanitarian Demining: The Problem, Difficulties, Priorities, Demining Technology and the Challenge for Robotics

Landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), which include unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned explosive ordnance, represent a major threat to civilian. This demands that all the mines and ERW affecting the places where ordinary people live must be cleared, and safety of people in areas that have been cleared must be guaranteed. UXO is explosive ordnance that has been primed, fuzzed, armed or otherwise prepared for action; that has been fired, dropped, launched, projected, buried, or placed in such a manner as to constitute a hazard to operations installations, personnel or material; and that remains unexploded either by design malfunction, preplanned, abandoned or for any other cause. Landmines are prominent weapons, and they are harmful and effective, yet cheap, easy to make and lay. A typical landmine consists of a firing mechanism, detonator that sets off the booster charge, booster charge (may be attached to fuse, originator, or be part of the main charge), and an explosive charge that constitutes the body of the mine and plastic or metal casing that contains all of the mentioned elements. A landmine is a type of self-contained explosive device, which is placed onto or into the ground to constitute a minefield, and it is designed to destroy or damage, equipment or personnel. A mine detonates by the action of its target (a vehicle, a person, an animal, etc.), the passage of time, or controlled means. A number of fuse activation mechanisms may activate a landmine, such as pressure (step on or drive over), pressure release, movement, sound, magnetic influence (change of magnetic field around the mine), vibration, electronic, and command detonation (remote control). Landmines can be categorized into two groups, Antipersonnel (AP) and Antitank (AT) mines. a) AP mines are quite small, weighing a few hundred grams at most. These mines are typically laid on the surface or buried within a few centimeters of the ground surface (Normally but not always, on average 4-50mm), or buried under leaves or rocks. AP mines are widely considered to be ethically problematic weapons with ability to kill or incapacitate their victims and can damage unarmored vehicles. AP mines commonly use the pressure of a person's foot as a triggering means (low triggering pressure), but tripwires are also frequently employed. There exists about 2000 types of landmines