Solutions to win: Ukrainian Krendt manufacturer unveils ultralight demining vehicle for army

Vinnytsia-based Frendt company has introduced a mine detection vehicle that will not explode if it hits a mine.

What is the problem?

Ukraine's 174,000 square kilometers are contaminated with Russian mines and explosive devices, says Oleh Shuvarsky, Head of the Mine Action Department of the Defense Ministry.

Over 5 million Ukrainians live in mine-contaminated areas, he said during a briefing on demining equipment.

According to the State Emergency Service, the most mined areas are Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson regions, and Donbas. It will take at least ten years to clear these areas.

There are 20 demining vehicles in Ukraine, including three in the Kharkiv region and about 3,000 demining specialists. These capacities are insufficient to speed up mines and explosives' clearance.

What is the solution?

The Ukrainian company Frendt has introduced an ultra-lightweight mine detector drone that does not explode when it hits a mine.

How does it work?

The vehicle can be equipped with any detectors, whether metal or radar. The system remotely transmits data to the office, linking it to GPS coordinates, and we have a map of dangerous objects used by sappers, which makes it much easier for them to approach each site and carry out demining, said Vitalii Shuberansky, founder of Frendt.

While the average human productivity during demining is 25 square meters per day, a remote machine can search for explosive objects on 10,000 square meters in an hour.

The machine detects mines, determines the point to within ± 2 cm, and quickly transmits the data to the map via satellite internet.

Previously, Ukraine has developed a machine that can clear 120 hectares of land within two weeks. Ukraine's DM showed a robot dog that clears Ukrainian territories of mines.