Wireless-Guided Rover Vehicle for Surface Explosive Mine Identification

Abstract

Buried explosive mines continue to claim the lives of non-combatants well after armed hostilities have ceased, casting a long and tragic shadow over post-conflict societies. This paper presents the systematic design and functional validation of an intelligent, remotely operable landmine detection rover — an embedded robotic platform conceived to overcome the persistent shortcomings of conventional humanitarian demining methods. The system employs a coordinated array of sensors, an adaptive navigation framework, and a mechanically durable mobile chassis to manoeuvre across hazardous ground, reliably pinpoint buried metallic explosive devices while curtailing spurious detections, and accurately capture the geographic coordinates of each identified threat to support organized and safe neutralization. The overarching goal of this work is to establish a mine-clearance methodology that demonstrably outperforms traditional manual approaches in terms of personnel safety, operational throughput, detection fidelity, and cost efficiency

Introduction

Landmines pose a severe humanitarian crisis, causing fatalities, injuries, economic damage, and restricted access to essential services. Traditional manual demining is dangerous, slow, and costly, unable to keep pace with new mine deployments. To address this, the study proposes an autonomous landmine detection rover that uses robotics, sensors, GPS, GSM, and intelligent software to improve safety, efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.

The rover’s hardware includes an ESP32 microcontroller, ultrasonic sensors, a pulse induction metal detector, GPS and GSM modules, DC motors with L293D drivers, a servo for marking mines, and an LCD display. Its software integrates autonomous navigation algorithms (SLAM, path planning, obstacle avoidance), sensor monitoring, real-time communication via Bluetooth and Blynk, and dual operational modes (autonomous and remote-controlled). Upon detecting a potential landmine, it records GPS coordinates, alerts users, and marks the location.

Simulated tests demonstrated 85% detection accuracy, effective obstacle avoidance, and reliable GPS positioning (~3m error). Limitations included false alarms due to metallic clutter, local minima in navigation, GPS accuracy degradation in complex terrain, communication interruptions, and limited battery life (~2 hours). Despite these challenges, the rover shows promise as a cost-effective, safer, and faster alternative for humanitarian demining, highlighting areas for improvement in sensor fusion, navigation algorithms, communication, and power management.

Conclusion

The construction of an autonomous landmine detection rover is effectively shown in this study, highlighting its potential to transform humanitarian demining operations. A potential and secure substitute for conventional demining techniques is provided by the rover\'s integrated capabilities, which include autonomous navigation, metallic object identification, and real-time location data transfer. This technology\'s automation of the detection process not only lowers the risk to human workers but also improves the effectiveness of demining operations, allowing hazardous areas to be cleared more quickly and thoroughly. The ability to transmit information to the user wirelessly has been improved by the installation of a GSM module. The rover\'s controlling capability\'s range is further enhanced by the RF module implementation. Looking ahead, the future scope of this project is vast and promising. To further enhance the rover\'s capabilities and address its current limitations, future work will concentrate on several key areas: 1) Enhanced Sensor Suite: By detecting buried items and non-metallic landmines, a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) sensor will enhance the rover\'s detection capabilities, increase detection accuracy and lower false alarms. 2) Advanced Navigation Algorithms: By putting more advanced navigation algorithms into practice, such Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), the rover will be able to map its surroundings in real time and become increasingly adept at navigating challenging and unstructured terrain on its own. 3) Robust Platform Development: The rover will be able to endure severe environments and potential risks if a more robust and rugged rover platform is designed and built. This will guarantee improved longevity and reliability under demanding real-world situations. 4) Real-World Testing: To verify the rover\'s functionality, spot possible problems, and improve its design for maximum efficacy in actual demining operations, extensive field testing in real-world demining scenarios is essential. The autonomous landmine detecting rover can develop into a very dependable and efficient instrument for humanitarian demining by following these future paths, which will ultimately make the world a safer and more secure place for landmine- affected populations. The future of safer, quicker, and more effective demining operations that save lives and return land to productive use depends on the ongoing advancement and improvement of this technology.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Sushama Shinde, Prof. Hemlata Mahore, Mr. Sachin Sharma, Mr. Adesh. Parmore, Mr. Ashish Hanwate. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.