AFGHAN BROTHERS LAUNCH NEW MINE-HUNTING DRONE
Former refugees Massoud and Mahmud Hassani stunned the world three years ago with an invention like a dandelion puffball that sought to rid the world of landmines. Now the Afghan brothers are back with their latest creation: a low-cost drone to detect and destroy mines, which each year claim thousands of lives.
Ridding the world of their childhood horror has become the life work of the Hassanis, who now live in the Netherlands.
In 2013, they won worldwide acclaim for the "mine kafon" -- a giant ball shaped like a dandelion seed head that rolls around with the wind, its plastic stalks tripping landmines in the process.
Inspired by their childhood toys, the kafon -- short for "kafondan" which in the Hassanis’ native Dari language means "something that explodes" -- drew high praise from anti-landmine organisations.
Now their latest mine-hunting device combines drone technology, 3D printing and robotics with a metal detector to find and ultimately destroy landmines.
Hinged on six arms with rotors that create lift, the 4.5 kilos (10-pound) drone consists of a blue hard plastic casing that contains batteries, computer hardware and software and a global positioning system.
A robotic arm slung underneath is fitted with pincers that can remotely be opened and closed. The pincers can carry a metal detector or a small explosive charge, which the brothers say can be used to destroy a landmine.
The onboard GPS allows it to plot its course via computer.
When deployed, a 3D mapping system scans the section that needs to be demined. Secondly, the mapped area is meticulously swept by the drones carrying a metal detector on a pre-programme path.
"This way the minefield in question can be scanned inch-byinch," Massoud told media at his workshop in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven.
Finally, the plan is to destroy the mines by using the drone to place a small charge on every mine to detonate it.
"We believe this way mines can be cleared almost 20 times faster than what they are now," Massoud said. "Clearing minefields is an incredibly time-consuming process," said Major Fred de Vries of the Dutch army’s explosives ordnance disposal unit.
The key phase will be to carry out field tests in Afghanistan, which the brothers hope to finance by crowd-funding.
If all goes well, the pair believes the drone can be made for as little as 1,000 euros ($1,100) each.
It said despite having carried out some "small-scale trials with aerial mapping drones" it did not believe "drones will contribute significantly to the future of mine clearance".
Drones are of limited use in areas covered with vegetation and in poor weather conditions, the trust said.