Ukraine is developing AI technology to support demining

Ukrainian developers from the Brave1 cluster are creating innovative technology to use artificial intelligence to clear territories contaminated with dangerous explosives. 

Rubryka reports, referring to Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov.

What's the problem?

The State Emergency Service estimates that the most heavily mined areas are the Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson regions, and Donbas. It would take at least ten years to clear these territories.

Official data shows potentially landmine-contaminated areas in Ukraine cover 174,000 square kilometers, including temporarily occupied territories. That's slightly less than a third of Ukraine's total area.

According to World Bank estimates, the cost of demining could exceed $37 billion. Since the fighting continues, final figures are not yet available.

Ukraine currently has 3,500 sappers, which is insufficient to clear the contaminated areas. Plus, demining specialists are constantly putting themselves in danger while searching for mines and explosive devices.

The most challenging aspect of demining is not just the quantity of mines but also their depth, which metal detectors cannot detect.

What's the solution?

Ukrainian developers of UADamage artificial intelligence are working on a technology to speed up the identification of mines, shells, and explosion craters, where dangerous fragments may also be found.

Developers connect artificial intelligence to sensors, which identify and classify data about objects on the earth's surface and deep beneath it, automatically mapping them.

How does it work?

The technology accelerates demining by tens of times, making the process overall safer for people. 

UADamage technology operates in three stages:

1. strategic planning. The team uses satellite imagery and data from cadasters to determine the degree of territory contamination.
2. visual inspection for mines and explosive objects. The area is surveyed by a drone with a camera, and artificial intelligence detects dangerous objects.
3. inspection underground and in the grass, using various sensors.

"Join with your innovations to the Brave1 cluster. Let's clean Ukraine of dirt together," Fedorov said.

In related news, the State Special Transport Service received the DOK-ING MV-10 demining system. The equipment was handed over by the EU's High Representative Josep Borrell.

Also, the first Ukrainian company producing the demining soil preparation machine has already received a compliance certificate, allowing production and use in demining territories.

Moreover, Ukraine will produce robotic demining systems based on Western models.