DYLEMA: Using walking robots for landmine detection and location

Detection and removal of antipersonnel landmines is an important worldwide concern. A huge number of landmines has been deployed over the last twenty years, and demining will take several more decades, even if no more mines were deployed in future. An adequate mineclearance rate can only be achieved by using new technologies such as improved sensors, efficient manipulators and mobile robots. This paper presents some basic ideas on the configuration of a mobile system for detecting and locating antipersonnel landmines efficiently and effectively. The paper describes the main features of the overall system, which consists of a sensor head that can detect certain landmine types, a manipulator to move the sensor head over large areas, a locating system based on a global-positioning system, a remote supervisor computer and a legged robot used as the subsystems’ carrier. The whole system has been configured to work in a semi-autonomous mode with a view also to robot mobility and energy efficiency.This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology under Grant CICYT DPI2001-1595 and DPI2004-05824.Peer reviewe

Lessons Learned from Field Tests in Croatia and Cambodia

This article describes the development and the experiments performed with Gryphon, a new platform for tele-operated landmine detection. With Gryphon, the authors aim at reducing the gap between research and application by introducing partial autonomy in mine-detection operations with a robust platform. Tests have been performed in Croatia and Cambodia

Intelligent Robotic Behaviors for Landmine Detection and Marking

This article discusses experimental results achieved with a robotic countermine system that utilizes autonomous behaviors and a mixed-initiative control scheme to address the challenges of detecting and marking buried landmines. By correlating aerial imagery and ground-based robot mapping, the interface provides context for the operator to task the robot. Once tasked, the robot can perform the search and detection task without the use of accurate global positioning system information or continuous communication with the operator. Results show that the system was able to find and mark landmines with a very low level of human involvement. In addition, the data indicates that the robotic system may be able to decrease the time to find mines and increase the detection, accuracy and reliability

State of the Art Review on Mobile Robots and Manipulators for Humanitarian Demining

Robotics solutions properly sized with suitable modularized structure and well adapted to local conditions of dangerous unstructured areas can greatly improve the safety of personnel as well as the work efficiency, productivity and flexibility. In this sense, mobile systems equipped with manipulators for detecting and locating antipersonnel landmines are considered of most importance towards autonomous/semi-autonomous mine location in a proficient, reliable, safer and effective way. This paper reviews the most relevant literature and previous research activity regarding mobile robots and manipulators for humanitarian demining.Robotics solutions properly sized with suitable modularized structure and well adapted to local conditions of dangerous unstructured areas can greatly improve the safety of personnel as well as the work efficiency, productivity and flexibility. In this sense, mobile systems equipped with manipulators for detecting and locating antipersonnel landmines are considered of most importance towards autonomous/semi-autonomous mine location in a proficient, reliable, safer and effective way. This paper reviews the most relevant literature and previous research activity regarding mobile robots and manipulators for humanitarian demining