A landmine detection system is being patented by two German companies, JVD
Decken and Bodenseewerk. A helicopter scans a mined area with beams of visible
and infrared light. A camera compares the visible reflections with the infrared
ones to correlate temperature differences with visible marks on the ground. When
the signature of a mine is spotted, an operator marks the spot with a tightly
focused infrared light spot. Then a high-power laser zeroes in on the marked
spot to burn through the mine casing, setting it off or rendering it harmless
(GB 2 330 801).
Technology
Flying squad
By Barry Fox
31 July 1999
