Electromagnetic induction spectroscopy for clearing landmines

An estimated 110 million landmines, mostly antipersonnel mines laid in over 60 countries, kill or maim over 26 000 people a year. One of the dilemmas for removing landmines is the amount of false alarms in a typical minefield. Broadband electromagnetic induction spectroscopy (EMIS) is a promising technology that can both detect and identify buried objects as landmines. By reducing the number of false alarms, this approach significantly reduces costs associated with landmine removal. Combining the EMIS technology and a broadband EMI sensor, the scientific phenomenology that has potential applications for identifying landmines, unexploded ordnance, and hidden weapons at security checkpoints can now be explored.