23 Service Robots and Humanitarian Demining Maki K. Habib Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saga University Japan 1. Introduction Landmines are prominent weapon and they are so effective, yet so cheap, and easy to make and lay. A landmine is a type of self-contained explosive device, which is placed onto or into the ground to constitute a minefield, and it is designed to destroy or damage equipment or personnel. A mine is detonated by the action of its target (a vehicle, a person, an animal, etc.), the passage of time, or controlled means. A minefield is an area of ground containing mines laid with or without a pattern. They are the most effective means of reinforcing the terrain to stop, slow, or force the enemy to pass into areas where he can be killed. There are two types of land-based mines: anti-tank (AT) and anti-personnel (AP). The production costs of AP mines are roughly between 3 and 30 US$. AP mines can kill or incapacitate their victims. The removal and destruction of all forms of dangerous battlefield debris, particularly landmines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO), are vital prerequisites for any region to recover from the aftermath of a war. Additional major effect of mines is to deny access to land and its resources, causing deprivation and social problems among the affected populations. Besides this, the medical, social, economic, and environmental consequences are immense (O’Malley, 1993; Blagden, 1993; Physicians for Human Rights, 1993; US Department of State, 1994; King, 1997; ICRC, 1998). The international Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates that the casualty rate from mines currently exceeds 26,000 persons every year. It is estimated that 800 persons are killed and 1,200 maimed each month by landmines around the world (ICRC, 1996a; ICRC, 1996b; ICRC, 1998). The primary victims are unarmed civilians and among them children are particularly affected. Worldwide there are some 300,000-400,000 landmine survivors. Survivors face terrible physical, psychological and socio-economic difficulties. The direct cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation exceeds US$750 million. This figure is very small compared to the projected cost of clearing the existing mines. The current cost rate of clearing one mine is ranging between 300-1000 US$ per mine (depending on the mine infected area and the number of false alarms). United Nation Department of Human Affairs (UNDHA) assesses that there are more than 100 million mines that are scattered across the world and pose significant hazards in more than 68 countries that need to be cleared (O’Malley, 1993; Blagden, 1993; Physicians for Human Rights, 1993; US Department of State, 1994; King, 1997; Habib, 2002b). Currently, there are 2 to 5 millions of new mines continuing to be laid every year. Additional stockpiles exceeding 100 million mines are held in over 100 nations, and 50 of these nations still producing a further 5 million new mines every year. The rate of clearance is far slower. There exists about 2000 types of mines around the world; among Source: Mobile Robots Towards New Applications, ISBN 3-86611-314-5, Edited by Aleksandar Lazinica, pp. 784, ARS/plV, Germany, December 2006 Open Access Database www.i-techonline.com