Today, at the Finmeccanica site in Giugliano (Naples), the final demonstration of D-BOX (Demining tool-BOX), a research project for the development of a complete solution to increase the safety of mine clearance operations, financed by the European Commission.
Finmeccanica, through the Terrestrial and Naval Defense Electronics division, is the leader of the technological innovation part and responsible for the final demonstration of the project, in which other companies, universities and research centers also participate. An example of how technologies and skills developed in the defense sector can be used for civil and security activities, D-BOX is able to integrate information and data received from different instruments and sensors, allowing the operator to focus exclusively on the activities that he is leading on the ground.
D-BOX allows to minimize the risks for humans, increase the efficiency of operations and contain the costs of de-mining campaigns. In fact, a professional in the sector today employs around 8 hours of work to reclaim 5m² of land, with results that are not always reliable and precise. Thanks to D-BOX it will be possible to have detailed information coming from different sources - satellites, drones, thermal cameras, proximity sensors of innovative conception, antennas and other instruments in the field - compare them with statistical data and then intervene with greater security on the working area.
During the demonstration, various application scenarios were recreated - from the desert to the wet ground, from areas with thick vegetation to areas hit by explosions - to reproduce the conditions and environments on which demining operations are now concentrated, with particular reference to the Croatia and Sudan.
