Feb 12 2021
Draganfly Inc., an award-winning, industry-leading developer of drone solutions and systems, recently reported that it has achieved progress in the field testing of the EagleEye™ land mine detection solution in collaboration with Windfall Geotek.
Windfall Geotek advance testing of drone-based AI solution for landmine detection. Image Credit: Draganfly Inc.
Windfall Geotek, a mining services company, is a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and sophisticated knowledge-extraction methods in the mining sector since 2005. This test consisted of collaborative research, engineering support, and AI development to design drones and sensor equipment.
Each day, nearly 10 people across the world either die or get disabled because of an anti-personnel mine (APM). This implies that nearly 4,200 people are killed or hurt globally each year, and 35%–42% of them are estimated to be children.
It has been predicted that currently there are about 60 to 110 million landmines planted in the ground, and an equal amount is stored in stockpiles for future planting or to be destroyed. According to reports from the United Nations, Office for Disarmament Affairs, almost 82 countries across the globe are contaminated by APMs.
According to the Landmine Monitor Report 2019, in 2018, approximately US$540,000,000 was spent by the government and industry to tackle the problem of Landmines and Explosive Remnants of war (find several APM and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in a range of terrain and contexts).
Since 2020, Draganfly has invested in new capabilities in drone-based magnetometer technology and other remote sensing equipment. The depth of the Draganfly engineering team, drone services group, and expert advisory in public safety was instrumental to get us to these first tests.
Dinesh Kandanchatha, Chairman, Windfall Geotek.
“Windfall Geotek is the industry leader in AI-based digital exploration for mining. We now have the right mixture of equipment and data to move to the commercialization of an advanced AI-based platform to help solve the global problem of landmines,” stated Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly.
The two companies share a mission of saving lives through technology. These tests are critical to helping create a new solution to this age-old problem. The new and expanded revenue streams for both companies in the Defense sector, Public Safety, and other markets are significant and represent an area where combined offering can excel.
Cameron Chell, CEO, Draganfly Inc.
“For years our foundation has support organizations removing land mines, this type of technology and innovation by Draganfly and Windfall is exactly what is needed to solve this global challenge on a massive scale,” concluded Admiral Hayward, former head of the US Navy and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.