Finding landmines is only the beginning of the problem. The individuals who are responsible for safely detonating these mines have one of the most dangerous and uncertain jobs in the world. Their tools and training vary from country to country, but for every 5,000 mines removed, one deminer is killed, and two are injured according to the United Nations. When compared to the estimated 110 million mines that have been disbursed since World War II, the statistics are grim.
In some countries, Non-Governmental Organizations are utilizing heavy machinery and ground penetrating radar to try and mitigate the risk of accidental explosions. Unfortunately, these methods are incredibly expensive, costing between $300-1000 to remove a single landmine. Compared to the $3-75 it costs to produce the mines, it’s easy to see why this has become such a global epidemic.
Increasingly, governments and demining organizations have been looking for inexpensive ways to remove the human element of landmine removal. This may seem like an impossible task, but students at JMU are working to make it a reality.
The JMU drone program split 42 students into six groups that would address six global problems. Two of these groups worked with the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) to see how drones can be used to both detect and detonate landmines.
The class is funded by 4VA, an initiative that includes five Virginia universities, and focuses on promoting innovative classes in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
The program groups biology, writing, physics, engineering and industrial design students together to encourage different ways of thinking to solve their specific problem. Nick Swayne, the 4VA coordinator for JMU, explained that the focus of the project is collaboration. Hearing different perspectives encourages the students to step out of their comfort zone and approach the problem differently. Listen to senior WRTC major Alexa Senio talk about how collaboration affected her group members by the end of the semester.
While there was a strong emphasis on collaboration, the group members quickly learned that each member had unique skills to contribute. Alexa talks about the balance the group had to find between working together, and relying on individual strengths.