Perspectives on the Development and Use of Nuclear Methods for Detecting Landmines and Minefields: A Review

Landmines remain a deadly legacy of past and present conflicts, with these hidden explosive devices causing thousands of casualties each year. In addition to the existing mainstream methods of detecting landmines and minefields, several new technologies are being investigated, such as nuclear mine detection methods, namely nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and neutron detection. Both NQR and neutron techniques are quite promising and offer powerful advantages in detecting landmines and minefields, although they have certain draw-backs in practical use. Artificial intelligence can significantly mitigate these shortcomings through advanced signal processing, adaptive algorithms, etc. The purpose of the article is to analyze, research and systematize available information on the positive effectiveness and feasibility of using nuclear methods (NQR and neutron-based) to detect mines and minefields, as well as to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of using these methods using artificial intelligence.