The device for sweeping mines is built using low-cost material available in abundance, hence easily replaceable too.
The new mine killer device known as Mine Kafon, developed by an Afghan designer, is an expertly designed device that uses cheap materials that are easily replaceable, hence giving tremendous results.
The device is wind-powered and seems like a Hoberman sphere. The device’s weight and height match that of an average-sized man, hence replicating the effect of a man stepping on a mine.
The invention of such a device has made it possible to remove tons of landmines from Afghanistan. It is a cost-effective solution if compared with conventional methods of removing landmines. Mine Kafon removes a mine at an approximate cost of $40, whereas professional teams charge around $300-$1000 for providing an equal amount of service.
The center of the device is a 17 kg iron casing containing its core running system. It has dozens of bamboo legs that are easy to replace at cheap costs. The end of the bamboo legs has specially designed feet made of plastic covering a larger surface area for optimum results.
The feet are made of a compliant material that could bear the effects of a mine blast. However, they get damaged while keeping the core ball safe. Mine Kafon comes with enough of these legs to roll over four landmines before its parts ask for a change.
The device’s weight is optimum, which lets it be moved by a normal breeze while also being the perfect heavy to trigger a possible landmine. The center ball contains a GPS placed at a height that mines don’t damage its body or functioning. It is used to map the covered route that allows users to keep track of the swept areas.
The effective design makes mine removal far more cost-effective than before. Despite cutting the costs, the new device has also put aside the risks that mine removal professionals had to take for sweeping mines from an area.
One of the latest mine removal reports from Mine Monitor has identified 5,554 mine casualties worldwide. However, the number could increase drastically as 110 million active landmines exist across the globe at different places.
These high numbers of existing mines ask for an efficient mine removal program. However, this is not the only innovation in mine removal equipment. Another program funded by European Commission created drone technology to kill mines from the air.
In an interview with CNN, Hassani claimed the idea if this Mine Kafon ball is derived from a toy with which he used to play as a child. Hassani said, “One of them was a little rolling object that was carried by the wind. We would race them against each other in the local fields.”
He added, “Sometimes, due to the presence of landmines, they would roll off into places that elders didn’t permit us to go.”
There are masses of lands that these communities avoid going to, hence left abandoned. With the invention of new technology, it would now be possible to live in the fields with landmines, once cleared at a low-cost, using Hassani’s Mine Kafon.