Device Could Revolutionize Mine Hunting

Infantry combatants would have greater success in finding mines — and determining their exact size and shape — using technology now under development by the Army’s Communications-Electronic Research, Development and Engineering Center. Known as real-time spatial location tracking, the technology would display sensor images of buried explosives on either heads-up displays or tablets that are attached to hand-held detectors. Infantry fighters would immediately see the size and shape of the potential threats, and take appropriate steps to avoid and then neutralize them. The devices also could monitor how soldiers use their minesweeping devices. If erratic movements are detected, the devices could notify troops that the user could be fatigued, injured, or otherwise hindered from detecting mines effectively. The technology also could be mounted onto mine-detecting robots.