Demining machines on display: DOK-ING and GCS presented their equipment in Ukraine
May 19, 2025
The new CETUS and BEETLE unmanned systems and IRIZI Demining software from a Ukrainian manufacturer will help accelerate and improve the efficiency of surveying and clearing contaminated territories. The presentation of the development recently took place in the Kyiv region. The event was attended by representatives of the Innovation Platform and the Mine Action Office under the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, UNDP, mine action operators, and technology companies.
CETUS drones collect data via multispectral and thermal imaging cameras from the DEF-C company, transmitting it to the IRIZI Demining software. In particular, a non-technical survey has already been performed in the village of Hrakove from the Kharkiv region using these UAVs. The equipment successfully detected 107 objects, 57 of them – anti-tank mines.
Before the full-scale war, NTS (non-technical survey) was mostly based on visual inspection, map analysis, and interviewing locals. Today, technologies allow the additional surveying using UAVs, which increases speed and yields better results.
"Technologies allow moving faster and make the process safely for operators. But it is not so much the vehicle that can fly that is important. It is the camera or sensor that collects information that matters, and even more important is the software that then processes this information. Only constant testing and improvement will help us find solutions that will speed up demining and qualitatively enhance data collection. And I am very glad that these solutions are being developed today by Ukrainian manufacturers," emphasized Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Ihor Bezkaravainyi.
Dmytro Yuferov, the developer of IRIZI Demining, explained that the software allows for the creation of detailed maps for mine action operators.
"During a non-technical survey, we see signs of contamination with explosive ordnance, and we mark them on the map so that the mine action operator personnel understand where to begin and what the risks are. Utilizing our data, operators can objectively assess the situation and most quickly and efficiently clear the territory of explosive ordnance," he noted.
The Innovation Platform under the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine was created to popularize the development of new demining methods, which can subsequently be utilized in other countries facing similar challenges. By concentrating innovations, expertise, and practical experience in one place, the platform creates the basis for shaping a new approach to humanitarian demining, which could be scaled and adapted for use in different regions worldwide.
