Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection
Commonly found landmines, such as the TM-62M, MON-100, and PDM-1, in the recent Russia–Ukraine war confirm the continued use of metals in munitions. Traditional demining techniques, primarily relying on handheld metal detectors and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems, remain state of the art for...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/24/4732 |
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| author | Sagar Lekhak Emmett J. Ientilucci Anthony Wayne Brinkley |
| author_facet | Sagar Lekhak Emmett J. Ientilucci Anthony Wayne Brinkley |
| author_sort | Sagar Lekhak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Commonly found landmines, such as the TM-62M, MON-100, and PDM-1, in the recent Russia–Ukraine war confirm the continued use of metals in munitions. Traditional demining techniques, primarily relying on handheld metal detectors and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems, remain state of the art for subsurface detection. However, manual demining with handheld metal detectors can be slow and pose significant risks to operators. Drone-based metal detection techniques offer promising solutions for rapid and effective landmine detection, but their reliability and accuracy remain a concern, as even a single missed detection can be life-threatening. This study evaluates the potential of an airborne metal detection system as an alternative to traditional handheld detectors. A comparative analysis of three distinct metal detectors for landmine detection is presented: the EM61Lite, a sensitive airborne metal detection system (tested in a pseudo-drone-based scenario); the CTX 3030, a traditional handheld all-metal detector; and the ML 3S, a traditional handheld ferrous-only detector. The comparison focuses on the number of metallic targets each detector identifies in a controlled test field containing inert landmines and UXOs. Our findings highlight the strengths and limitations of airborne metal detection systems like the EM61Lite and emphasize the need for advanced processing techniques to facilitate their practical deployment. We demonstrate how our experimental normalization technique effectively identifies additional anomalies in airborne metal detector data, providing insights for improved detection methodologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-43d97198ed2e4ff8a440052f03fbf3fa |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-43d97198ed2e4ff8a440052f03fbf3fa2025-08-20T02:57:04ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-12-011624473210.3390/rs16244732Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance DetectionSagar Lekhak0Emmett J. Ientilucci1Anthony Wayne Brinkley2Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Dr, Rochester, NY 14623, USAChester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Dr, Rochester, NY 14623, USACenter for Health Sciences, Forensic Science Department, Tulsa Campus, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa OK 74107, USACommonly found landmines, such as the TM-62M, MON-100, and PDM-1, in the recent Russia–Ukraine war confirm the continued use of metals in munitions. Traditional demining techniques, primarily relying on handheld metal detectors and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems, remain state of the art for subsurface detection. However, manual demining with handheld metal detectors can be slow and pose significant risks to operators. Drone-based metal detection techniques offer promising solutions for rapid and effective landmine detection, but their reliability and accuracy remain a concern, as even a single missed detection can be life-threatening. This study evaluates the potential of an airborne metal detection system as an alternative to traditional handheld detectors. A comparative analysis of three distinct metal detectors for landmine detection is presented: the EM61Lite, a sensitive airborne metal detection system (tested in a pseudo-drone-based scenario); the CTX 3030, a traditional handheld all-metal detector; and the ML 3S, a traditional handheld ferrous-only detector. The comparison focuses on the number of metallic targets each detector identifies in a controlled test field containing inert landmines and UXOs. Our findings highlight the strengths and limitations of airborne metal detection systems like the EM61Lite and emphasize the need for advanced processing techniques to facilitate their practical deployment. We demonstrate how our experimental normalization technique effectively identifies additional anomalies in airborne metal detector data, providing insights for improved detection methodologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/24/4732landminesunexploded ordnances (UXOs)unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)dronesmetal detectorsCTX 3030 |
| spellingShingle | Sagar Lekhak Emmett J. Ientilucci Anthony Wayne Brinkley Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection Remote Sensing landmines unexploded ordnances (UXOs) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drones metal detectors CTX 3030 |
| title | Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection |
| title_full | Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection |
| title_fullStr | Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection |
| title_short | Viability of Substituting Handheld Metal Detectors with an Airborne Metal Detection System for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Detection |
| title_sort | viability of substituting handheld metal detectors with an airborne metal detection system for landmine and unexploded ordnance detection |
| topic | landmines unexploded ordnances (UXOs) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drones metal detectors CTX 3030 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/24/4732 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sagarlekhak viabilityofsubstitutinghandheldmetaldetectorswithanairbornemetaldetectionsystemforlandmineandunexplodedordnancedetection AT emmettjientilucci viabilityofsubstitutinghandheldmetaldetectorswithanairbornemetaldetectionsystemforlandmineandunexplodedordnancedetection AT anthonywaynebrinkley viabilityofsubstitutinghandheldmetaldetectorswithanairbornemetaldetectionsystemforlandmineandunexplodedordnancedetection |