Member Article

Manchester University Landmine Detection Programme enters final stages

Find A Better Way’s SEMIS research programme on track for prototype systems

Find A Better Way, the leading landmine charity founded by Sir Bobby Charlton, has today announced that its ground breaking research programme led by Manchester University is now entering its final phase. The SEMIS programme (scanning, electromagnetic, mine-imaging system) will enable the more accurate detection of landmine and explosive devices underground, reducing time and improving the impact of de-mining activity.

The task of landmine clearance for deminers is currently an extremely painstaking and time consuming process; the ground is often strewn with random metal pieces which can trigger a false positive reading. Each reading subsequently requires further investigation to rule out any possible detonation issues.

“Progress has been made over the past decade in landmine detection for military purposes, however the SEMIS research programme has taken this approach much further with the development of a device that is specifically for humanitarian purposes. Through the detection of not just the presence of metal, but the specific characteristic of the metal and the smallest component such as a detonator, we hope to deliver vastly improved demining techniques,” commented Professor Anthony Peyton, Chair in Electromagnetic Tomography Engineering, Manchester University.

With landmines still in existence in almost 40 per cent of the world’s states, they represent a very real and ongoing threat to countries across the globe. An average of nine people are still fall victim to remnants of war every day. The technology developed through the SEMIS research programme will provide an application for humanitarian use in clearing landmines in areas where unexploded devices are still an every-day hazard to communities.

“We’re very excited by the progress of the SEMIS project and anticipate the pace of testing to increase. With the next generation of prototype systems being expected in early 2016, this programme represents the significant progress that the charity is making with critical research, imperative in the quest of improving de-mining techniques,” commented Sir Bobby Charlton, Founder, Find A Better Way.

The Manchester University SEMIS team will also start working in partnership with Croatian colleagues in Zagreb during the next phase as the systems are refined, building on Croatian demining expertise over the past two decades of dealing with the aftermath of the Yugoslav Wars.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Firework PR .