Super-sensitive, real time and wide coverage, all terrain ground robotic and hand held systems for mine and UXO detection and mapping

Abstract

This paper describes a demonstration prototype (Dempro) of super sensitive magnetic and GPR all-terrain ground robotic system and its outgrowth designed and developed, for real-time and wide coverage mine & UXO detection and mapping. The Dempro has been tested at various sites containing buried UXO and mines. On March 1997, a limited survey for recovery of AP plastic mines, was carried out near Eilat, the southern Israeli city on the Gulf of Aqaba. The performance of the magnetic array and real time processing algorithm, revealed detection capability of buried objects from plastic low metal antipersonnel mines, specified by its metallic striker of less than 5 gr, buried to a depth of 1 meter, up to 100-1000 kg, air bombs buried to a depth of 7-13 meter, respectively. The real time processing algorithm has discrimination capabilities that reduce the high false positive alarm rate, induced by mine-like clutter of real ferrous fragments or man-made targets. The most promising derivative of the real time, wide coverage and standoff detection capability is a man-portable gradiometric system for enhanced automatic detection, location and discrimination of buried ferrous objects that does not required professional or special training. Incorporation of the portable standoff gradiometric system and the remotely driven vehicle, offers a cost effective solution for humanitarian demining.