Abstract Background: Explosive remnants of war (ERW), including landmines and unexploded ordnance, disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, threatening public health, human rights, and ecological stability. Old ways of demining methods are often slow, laborious, and hazardous to personnel. Current techniques cannot guarantee 100% clearance and safe of the landmines, calling for a critical need for innovative, safer, and more efficient solutions to mitigate these persistent threats in post-conflict regions. Objectives: The primary goal of the Landmine Detection using AI-powered Drones (LANDDR) project is to develop an autonomous system that enhances public health safety through breakneck maneuver (even in inaccessible terrains) and high-precision landmine detection. Specific objectives: integrating a multi-sensor suite, training AI algorithms on comprehensive landmine datasets, modeling an autonomous navigation node for safe movement in minefields, and implementing real-time data analysis and decision-making capabilities. Methodology: The LANDDR project proposes a dronelike device equipped with a multi-sensor suite—comprising metal detectors, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and infrared sensors—and an onboard AI-powered processing unit for anomaly detection in time. The implementation follows four phases: design and development of the hardware and sensor nexus, AI algorithm training using labeled data, integration and field testing in controlled environments, and final refinement for deployment in demining processes. Expected Outcomes: The project anticipates the delivery of a fully functional dronelike system characterized by exceptional accuracy and efficiency. Expected impacts include improved public health in post-conflict areas due to a decrease in landmine-related casualties, faster clearance of contaminated territories, and enhanced security for sovereign nations. Ultimately, the transition to autonomous drone demining aims to provide a more cost-effective and safer alternative to traditional techniques. Keywords: Landmine Detection, AI-powered Drone (LANDDR), Public Health Safety, Autonomous Navigation, Multi-sensor Suite, Post-conflict Regions.
Benard Ochieng Otieno (Mon,) studied this question.