Search academic texts

Registration Number

0225U004559, (0125U002059) , R & D reports

Title

Integration of innovative sensors for remote mine detection

popup.stage_title

Інтеграція інноваційних сенсорів для дистанційного виявлення мін

Head

Pochanin Hennadii P., Кандидат фізико-математичних наук

Registration Date

11-12-2025

Organization

O. Ya. Usikov Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics NAS of Ukraine

popup.description1

After the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, the need for systems capable of solving the problems of detecting mines and other explosive threats located below the soil surface has become acute. According to experts, the state of mining in the territory of Ukraine is such that without the use of new innovative methods of mine detection, demining will last more than 700 years. This creates an urgent need to create automated means for humanitarian demining that can protect the work of sappers. Therefore, the task of the NATO SPS project No. G7563 is to validate a multi-sensor swarm of robots for safe and productive detection of mines and threats on the surface. This system combines data obtained by surveying the field using pulse radar, a high-resolution optical camera, lidar, metal detector and holographic radar. Threats on the surface will be detected and mapped using artificial intelligence, and shallowly hidden objects will be classified using microwave images. Four sensor configurations will be mounted sequentially on a single robotic platform. All data received by the sensors will be processed in real time, and the results will be transmitted to create a map of qualified targets. The purpose of the R&D is to contribute to the implementation of the tasks of the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) project “Integration of Innovative Sensors for Remote Mine Detection” in 2025.

popup.description2

The task of the Ukrainian research team is to develop methods for detecting underground objects and determining their exact location using a special device called a ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Only this device has the ability to detect plastic landmines. All of this should work in real time while the robotic platform moves along the ground surface. The main difficulty is that soil can have different composition and moisture, which affects how the equipment works. The position of a landmine in the ground is also important: if it lies flat or at an angle, the radar signal is reflected differently. Therefore, to reliably detect underground objects and determine their coordinates, many experiments must be carried out under different conditions. This is necessary to collect enough data and to create reliable detection algorithms. During the research, data on plastic objects buried in clay soils, which are the most difficult for scanning, were collected. The ability to detect these objects using a ground-penetrating radar was evaluated. The results showed that even small plastic objects can already be detected, and the average accuracy of determining their location is about 30%. For larger objects, the accuracy sometimes reaches 100%. However, these results are achievable owing to prepared (cleared from clutter objects) test field. The obtained results confirm that this research direction is promising. At the same time, the task remains difficult and requires further studies, including tests in different types of soil and with different objects, in order to increase the probability of landmine detection.

Product Description

popup.authors

Vadym P. Ruban
Vadym H. Korzh
Kateryna T. Chumak
Tetiana M. Ohurtsova
Anatolii I. Puzak
Olena I. Dmitruk
Larysa А. Zviahintseva

popup.nrat_date

2025-12-11