Enhancing Minefield Detection: A Robotic Approach for Multisensor Detection and Discrimination of Small Low-Metal-Content Landmines

We provide experimental results of an investigation into the detectability of small, low-metal-content (LMC) landmines using multiple sensors in field conditions. The sensors tested were an impulse ground penetrating radar (GPR), a metal detector (MD), and a holographic subsurface radar (HSR). By using the combined sensors, we were able to reliably detect the presence of both M14 and Type 72 landmines buried at shallow depths in damp soil. The sensors were mounted on a remotely operated robotic platform, which provides enhanced safety in real minefield conditions. The results indicate that this combination of sensors could provide an effective method for safely identifying the presence of minimum metal landmines in real postconflict zones. Such mines are not currently detectable with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), so this ground-based approach is complementary.