Robotic System for Detecting Landmines

Résumé

Landmines remain a critical humanitarian challenge, causing thousands of civilian casualties each year and obstructing postconflict recovery. Traditional demining methods are slow, dangerous, and resource-intensive, which highlights the urgent need for safer and more efficient solutions. This study addresses the problem by developing a low-cost robotic system designed to detect landmines remotely. The system integrates a Bluetooth-based control application, Arduino microcontroller, ultrasonic sensors for obstacle avoidance, and a metal-detection circuit to identify buried mines. Experiments conducted under controlled conditions demonstrated stable wireless communication, reliable navigation, and clear frequency shifts in the sensing circuit when metallic objects were present. These results confirm the feasibility of using simple, affordable robotics for mine detection. While the prototype is limited by the absence of field testing and sensitivity to environmental factors, it provides a proof of concept with significant potential for future development. Enhancements such as multisensor fusion, autonomous navigation, and machine learning integration could strengthen its accuracy and scalability. Overall, this work contributes to advancing robotic demining technologies and offers a pathway toward safer and more effective clearance of mine-affected regions.