SDU students invent new mine-clearing technology for Ukraine
Two engineering students from the University of Southern Denmark have developed a series of affordable and accessible devices for mine clearance in Ukraine. This achievement has secured them a place in the finals of the European Defence Challenge in Brussels, which will be decided on 9 May.
Christoffer Hartmann Skovsgård and Jens Magnus Oldenburg are both graduate students in Product Development and Innovation at the Faculty of Engineering at SDU in Odense, currently in their second semester.
But on 9 May, they will pack their bags and travel to Brussels. They have reached the finals of the European Defence Challenge, a defence technology competition for university students across Europe. This year’s theme is mine clearance in Ukraine.
The two young men from Odense have invented a device which, although still only at the design stage, will make it possible for civilians to help remove landmines safely. And there is a great need for that. It is estimated that there are 2 million mines in Ukraine, meaning that up to 40% of the country is mined. It could take years – if not decades – for professional deminers to remove them all, and in the meantime, thousands of people could lose their lives to landmines.
- It takes a very long time to clear mines, and it is also extremely expensive in terms of both equipment and personnel. There are also many places where large demining vehicles cannot reach, such as forests and dense urban areas, says Christoffer Hartmann Skovsgård.
Jens Magnus Oldenburg nods:
- That’s why there is a need for some simple demining technologies that might not be sophisticated or high-tech, but can be produced anywhere by ordinary people, he says.
- Our solutions can almost be made from scrap.
Two types of mines
The two students have chosen to focus on two types of mines: the classic pressure-triggered mine, which explodes if you step directly on it, and the increasingly common tripwire mine.
- The tripwire mine is becoming a bigger and bigger problem for Ukrainians, especially as the Russians scatter them widely over areas when they retreat. These mines shoot out tripwires to the sides, which trigger the mine if someone walks into them. This means they can deploy large quantities of mines without having to bury each one manually, says Christoffer Hartmann Skovsgård.
For the classic landmine, they have designed a circular device with legs, for example made of wood. In the centre of the circle, a detonator is installed that can function, for instance, by sending water or air pressure or a cartridge down towards the mine when a string is pulled from a safe distance. They have also developed a model where the detonator is a burner that neutralises the mine.
For tripwire mines, they suggest using a harpoon-like mechanism to shoot a hook to the other side of the tripwires, which can then be pulled back to trigger the mines.
- Most of our time has been spent researching about landmines online. There are quite a few videos on YouTube, for example, where Ukrainians dismantle mines or demonstrate how to handle them, says Jens Magnus Oldenburg.
So far, the solutions exist only as digital models, but at the European Defence Challenge on 9 May, the two students will present their ideas to representatives from the European defence sector – so who knows, maybe one day the ideas will find their way to Ukraine.