Portable radar system detects land mines

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 1996

Researchers at Battelle and Ohio State University's ElectroScience Laboratory are developing a portable radar system that could pinpoint the locations of millions of land mines buried around the globe. The work in being conducted for the Department of Defense's Office of Special Technology. The device resembles a small satellite dish-30 inches across--that is strapped to the front of the user, who scans the area. The radar is effective up to about five feet.

The proliferation of anti-personnel land mines has become a major problem throughout the world, particularly in Third World nations. The United Nations estimates there are 100,000,000 land mines buried in 64 countries.

Mines are inexpensive and easy to deploy. They remain in the ground and active long after fighting has ended, creating a threat to the native population. Mines now are being constructed with plastic containers and explosives, rendering traditional metal detectors ineffective at finding them. Thus, a more modern means of detection must be developed.

The ElectroScience Laboratory and Battelle are investigating the use of underground radar systems to deal with this situation. Unlike traditional radars that scan the sky for targets, these systems send pulses into the ground searching for responses from small land mines that are buried just below the surface.

Since these mines are small and non-metallic, they tend to scatter very little energy and are difficult to detect. Identification can be complex because the mines are similar in size and electrical properties to rocks. To overcome this, sophisticated antenna systems must be developed that respond to these small signals without creating interference of their own. The characteristics of these mines are isolated by the radar so that the land mines can be discriminated from harmless objects buried in the ground.