Early on a June morning in 2023, my colleagues and I drove down a bumpy dirt road north of Kyiv in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces were conducting training exercises nearby, and mortar shells arced through the sky.
We arrived at a vast field for a technology demonstration set up by the United Nations. Across the 25-hectare field—that’s about the size of 62 American football fields—the U.N. workers had scattered 50 to 100 inert mines and other ordnance. Our task was to fly our drone over the area and use our machine learning software to detect as many as possible. And we had to turn in our results within 72 hours. The scale was daunting: The area was 10 times as large as anything we’d attempted before with our drone demining startup, Safe Pro AI.
Read more…
Source: IEEE Spectrum
Related:
- China contributes to Iraq’s mine action capacity
November 4, 2025
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq issued a statement on Monday hailing a Chinese contribution aiming to assist UNMAS in developing long-term national mine action capabilities in Iraq, protecting people from the threat of explosive ordnance, and promoting socioeconomic and reconstruction initiatives in affected areas. According to the UNMAS, Iraq ...
- Cambodia, Thailand Designate Pilot Site for Border Demining
November 1, 2025
Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to launch a pilot humanitarian demining operation along their shared border, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence said Friday. The Cambodia–Thailand Joint Coordinating Task Force (JCTF) selected a site in Ou Bei Choan commune, Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, opposite Nonmak Moon commune in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, according to ...
- Yemen: Executive Mine Action Center destroys war remnants in Hodeidah
October 31, 2025
The Executive Center for Mine Action carried out an operation today to destroy large quantities of war remnants—including landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosives—north of the Kilo 16 area in Hodeidah city. The operation was supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and held under the slogan “Safe Land.” Hodeidah’s Deputy Governor for Services ...
- Solomon Islands: Over 6k UXOs disposed off in 2024
October 30, 2025
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) has safely disposed of 6,121 unexploded ordnances (UXOs) nation-wide in 2024. Of this total, 3,200 UXOs were cleared in Western Province under Operation Render Safe. Officer-in-Charge of the EOD Unit, Ansa Puaraua, revealed the figures during his presentation at the National UXO ...
- UK pledges £4m to clear land mines to help flow of aid in Gaza
October 30, 2025
The UK will give £4m to help clear landmines from parts of Gaza so more aid can get in, the foreign secretary has announced. It will be used by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to demine areas preventing the safe passage of aid. There are an estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions currently stopping ...
- Syria: Three soldiers injured while clearing mines in Homs and Hama countryside
October 28, 2025
Three Syrian soldiers were injured while carrying out demining operations in the countryside of Homs near the Syrian-Lebanese border and in the town of Kafr Nabouda in Hama countryside, military source said Tuesday. “Three soldiers from the engineering units of the Syrian Arab Army were injured and a mine-clearing vehicle was damaged during the mission to ...
- Iraq: KRG’s Mine Action Completes Major Mine Clearance in Tanjaro, Slemani
October 27, 2025
On Monday, 27 October 2025, as part of its ongoing efforts, the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (IKMAA) Slemani Office, through the Committee for the Handover of Cleared Minefields, officially handed over a piece of land that was formerly a farm named “Mahmoud Khan.” The land is located in the village of Qrga, within the ...
- Ukraine expects 14th aid package from Croatia soon, 15th by year end
October 27, 2025
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met in Kyiv with Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić, thanking him for providing 13 military aid packages worth over EUR 200 million. “We expect the 14th aid package to arrive soon and the 15th by the end of this year,” Shmyhal said on X. During the meeting, ...
- Ukraine: Mine Action AoR Achievements January – September 2025
October 21, 2025
In the third quarter of 2025, Mine Action AoR partners in Ukraine reached over 682,700 people in 24 regions, showing a continued increase in coverage compared to the previous quarter. The highest activity was again recorded in the eastern and southern regions, reflecting the current humanitarian needs in areas affected by hostilities. During this period, 630,898 ...
- Vietnam seeks stronger international support for post-war mine clearance
October 21, 2025
The Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) hosted a conference in Hanoi on October 21 to rally global aid and support to sweep the country clean of deadly mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war. The event served as a key platform to raise awareness and responsibility among government agencies while enhancing international ...
- Azerbaijan: ANAMA employee injured in mine explosion in Khojavand
October 20, 2025
An employee of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) was injured in a mine explosion while on duty in the Khojavand district. ANAMA told Report that the incident occurred on October 20 in the village of Taghaverd, where an excavator operator of the agency triggered a landmine during operations. The victim sustained severe injuries ...
- Iraq: KRG’s Mine Action Efforts Continue with Clearance of Gre Mire Minefield
October 20, 2025
On Monday, 20 October 2025, the Committee for the Handover of Cleared Minefields of the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (IKMAA), Duhok Office, officially handed over the Gre Mire minefield in the Darkare District of Zakho to its rightful owner, following the successful completion of clearance operations. The Gre Mire site, covering an area of 27,000 ...
- Ukraine to receive EUR 165 mln for mine action in 2026
October 17, 2025
The Coalition of Demining Capabilities plans to allocate at least EU 165 million in 2026 to provide Ukraine with equipment and machinery, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has said. It is noted that such preliminary agreements were announced during a visit to Ukraine by the Coalition Coordinator, representative of the Ministry of National Defense of ...
- EU Assistance to Ukraine
October 14, 2025
Over $70 billion in military assistance – ranging from ammunition to air-defense systems, Leopard tanks, and fighter jets. This includes an unprecedented $6.6 billion from the “European Peace Facility,” in addition to bilateral contributions by our Member States. On top of that, in March 2024, the Council established a dedicated Ukraine Assistance Fund worth $5.4 ...
- Norway commits $1.2 million to support Cambodia’s mine action for 2025-2027
October 7, 2025
Norway will continue its support for Cambodia’s mine action sector by providing $1.2 million over a three-year period, from 2025 to 2027. The commitment was announced during a meeting between Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), and Astrid Emilie Helle, Norwegian Ambassador to the ...
- Solomon Islands: World War II era weapons still threatening lives and development
October 6, 2025
Last century the remote Solomon Islands was the stage for some of the most intense battles fought during the Pacific campaign of the Second World War. But while Allied troops departed on the heels of victory, the military forces of both sides left a massive legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) which is still scattered across ...
- Myanmar: Security forces continue sanitation efforts in Kyaukme
October 6, 2025
Tatmadaw has fully regained control of Kyaukme Township in Shan State (North) after conducting counter-terrorism operations to ensure the safety and stability of local people. Tatmadaw, in cooperation with residents has been implementing reconstruction efforts to restore normal administration and rebuild the town. To enable the reopening of basic education schools and ensure safe and peaceful ...
- Somalia: SNA, AUSSOM Conduct Mine Clearance Operations in Awdheegle
October 5, 2025
The Somali National Army (SNA), in collaboration with the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), has launched mine clearance operations in Awdheegle, Lower Shabelle region, after Al-Shabaab terrorists planted explosives along roads, near homes, and around the town. The operation aims to eliminate all explosive devices posing a threat to civilians and security forces, allowing ...
- Cambodia: New agreement sees US$5mil earmarked for border mine clearance efforts
October 3, 2025
Cambodia aim to clear more than 41 million square metres of mine-contaminated land across six provinces bordering Thailand, thanks to US$5 million in funding from the “Cambodia Mine-Free 2025 Fund”. A signing ceremony for the border mine clearance agreement, between the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces’ Army Command, ...
- ADF: Taking mine clearance to the next level
September 29, 2025
A pair of rockets launch from an M1150 assault breacher vehicle over an anti-tank minefield trailing 110m lines, each covered with 750 kilograms of explosives. A thunderous explosion erupts as the lines detonate, triggering the mines or ejecting them from the site. Inside the vehicle are a pair of sappers, like Corporal Connor Trost, a combat ...
- Cambodia: US pledges $600,000 in demining support
September 29, 2025
The United States signed a Grant Cooperation Agreement worth $600,000 on Saturday to support Cambodia’s demining efforts over a five-month period from November to April next year. The funds will be funnelled through Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC). The deal was signed during a visit from US Congress members to ...
- Cambodia and Thailand launch Joint Coordinating Task Force on border demining
September 24, 2025
The Ministry of National Defense announced this morning that Cambodia and Thailand have officially launched the Joint Coordinating Task Force (JCTF) to oversee humanitarian demining operations along their shared border. According to Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, spokeswoman of the Ministry of National Defense, the JCTF held its first meeting via video teleconference on September 24, in ...