DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF LOW-COST MOBILE ROBOT FOR MINE DETECTION

There is a dire need for low-cost mobile robots for the purpose of mine detection and disposal. Countries with low gross domestic product (GDP) and infected with landmines generally cannot support expensive high-tech solution. A de-mining mobile robot has to be cost effective compared to local labor costs. Presently commercially available mobile robots consist of mainly custom made parts. The design and manufacturing of such parts make the robots very expensive. This paper describes how careful selection of commercially available parts leads to reducing the development time and costs for a demining robot while ensuring its reliability, convenient operation and application domain. An actual example of how a low cost mine detection robot was successfully integrated within two months is outlined.