Laser vibration sensing technology offers hope for quicker landmine detection

Vyacheslav Aranchuk, principal scientist in the National Center for Physical Acoustics, presented his research on laser multibeam vibration sensor technology at the Optica Laser Congress and Exhibition, held between October 19-23, 2024 in Osaka, Japan.  

“There are tens of millions of landmines buried around the world, and more every day as conflicts continue,” Aranchuk said in a statement. “There are military applications for this technology in ongoing conflicts and humanitarian applications after the conflicts are over.” 

According to NATO, there are over 110 million active landmines worldwide and landmines or others left behind from previous wars injured or killed 4,710 people in 2022. Over 85 per cent of landmine casualties were civilians, and half of those were children. Landmines are easy to make and can cost as little as $3 apiece, but identification and disposal can cost up to $1,000 per mine to remove.  

Current landmine detection mostly relies on handheld metal detectors, a technique that is dangerous and time-consuming, Aranchuk said. Also, metal detectors and ground-penetrating radar are not effective in finding plastic landmines.