squidonthebass

Thanks for doing this AMA! I'm very passionate about humanitarian demining, so I have a few questions for you guys:

• In the thread one of your members was in yesterday, /u/apopo_robin said of your HeroRATs:

We train them to sniff out TNT which is in every landmine and nearly every UXO (unexploded bomb)

However, aren't there a number of landmines that employ RDX as their explosive agent that don't contain TNT? Are your HeroRATs capable of detecting landmines and unexploded ordnance that don't employ TNT?

• In addition, do you use any secondary sensors to validate potential landmines detected by your HeroRATs? Or do your teams just start digging when the HeroRATs indicate a mine?

• Mozambique was cleared in much less time than originally estimated. Could you hazard a few guesses as to why this was the case, and if those factors may also be applicable in other countries currently in the demining process?

Thanks again!

EDIT: Formatting

Here's a fun (albeit, possibly slightly dated stat):

Mines cost between US$ 3 and US$ 75 to produce

yet

The only way to deactivate them is by individual removal at a cost of US$ 300–1000 per mine

Source

My guess is that, because they are dealing with mines from 1964-1975 in Mozambique, maybe they are only dealing with mines that contain TNT? I am not sure when they started using RDX or nitroamine in explosives. That being said, an answer would've been nice.

That's an interesting way to spell Permanent Waves

Hi Dr. Fast (or Robin)! Not sure if you were involved with the last AMA that APOPO did, but if you were, you might remember me! I was the one asking an absurd amount of questions and answering a fair amount of other users' questions as they popped up :) I am a grad student performing research in the demining field (albeit, not with animals), so I love seeing these AMAs pop up.

Anyway, my questions:

1) One of the things that I've found most interesting/difficult within the demining field is that experienced operators are extremely skeptical of new technologies, especially regarding detection. Most still swear by HSTAMIDS (or something equivalent), or even just standard EMI devices. The ex-EOD technician I work with has little faith demining dogs, let alone rats tasked for this purpose. Have you encountered the same problem, and, if so, how do you work to convince these veterans that these rats are as effective as a human operator?

2) One of the typical limitations of mine detectors is that there is an upper bound on the depth of buried mines they can detect. While there is a "standard" for depths to clear, ideally, the deeper we can detect landmines, the better. I'm sure it depends on all sorts of environmental conditions, but is there an approximate figure for how deep a mine can be before your rats can't detect it?

3) Where do your rats currently operate, and are there any plans to expand your usage? I know you guys are based out of Tanzania, and remember from last time that you also did work in Mozambique; but there are still plenty of countries that need help. Are there any environmental factors in areas outside of Africa that prohibit using the rats to detect mines?

As always, thanks for the awesome work and I look forward to your answers :)