A small helium-filled, *low-flying* blimp (the size of two large suitcases and altitude 10 feet or less) flies a preprogrammed grid, carrying navigation sensors to adjust altitude and bearing as required. It uses magnetometer sensors to detect magnetic anomalies that indicate a landmine is present. It then marks the position using GPS (or even spraying a bright- coloured dye onto land below.)

If power is an issue, a tether to a generator carries a power line, and also serves as a failsafe to prevent the drone getting lost.
-- sonam, Oct 09 2012

Nice, but don't drag that wire over the landmines. [+]
-- TomP, Oct 09 2012


Magnetometers need to be very close to the surface to detect mines.
-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012


There could be entanglement issues if the wire gets caught. Perhaps, have a squad of them, tethered together by the power line/cable combination, but holding the tether arrangement mostly off the ground.
-- sonam, Oct 09 2012


Even better if it were possible to substitute "cat" for "mine" ...
-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012


//Wy not? Wire's cheap, if it detonates the mines, all well and good.//

Because unless it is heavily armoured, the wire will break and the blimp will float off across a minefield (depending upon wind direction), where retrieval might be a tad difficult.
-- TomP, Oct 10 2012


Modern mines contain very little metal, to frustrate easy detection and removal by metal detectors.

This therefore is not going to work.
-- Loris, Oct 10 2012


Ok how about plan b a larger blimp, with a heavy 60kg dead weight dangling down on a light weight rope. Using the same power line drifting at an angle. The Man sized weight is bumped up and down until "Kablooie" weight is sent 15 m away, possibly triggering further explosions. To deal with the explosion pulling and tearing the blimp scenario may require some elasticated attachments may be necessary.

Blimp is wheeled back to base station and new 60kg weight is added. Systematic test resumes.
-- PainOCommonSense, Oct 12 2012


It sounds like the blimp is likely to endure some career-ending injuries in the process, but I'm all for the idea. How about selling these things in pairs: one mine, one blimp.
-- normzone, Oct 12 2012


Magnetometers can be much more effective at locating things than metal detectors. However, magnetometers must be a good distance from electrical wires in order to detect anything.
-- ye_river_xiv, Oct 12 2012



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