Mowers for Mined Fields: Ukrainian Teams Tested Machines Needed by Sappers at the site
Ukrainian developers, as part of the "Safe Field" hackathon organized by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine in collaboration with the Kyiv School of Economics, tested their designs for mowing dense vegetation at a training ground. Four teams presented various projects, ranging from robotic tractors to multiplatform solutions, aimed at helping sappers work more efficiently in fields with thick grass and shrubs.
"The organization of this hackathon is a response to the request of Ukrainian sappers, with whom I spoke during a trip to the Kharkiv region. Both those working in the east and those in the south of the country need remotely controlled, inexpensive mowers to clear our territories faster and more safely. Trained and skilled sappers should work with mine detectors and probes, not manually cut grass and bushes to the point of getting blisters on their fingers. What can be done safely by a machine should be done by a machine, not a person," said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Ihor Bezkaravainyi.
During the trials at the training ground, each team had a set amount of time to mow a designated area. The jury evaluated the machines' power, operational autonomy, quality of navigation and remote control, ability to overcome obstacles, and the height of the mowed vegetation, among other criteria.
"I am grateful to the participants who developed the products we saw in the field today in such a short time. Through our collective efforts, we will make our sappers' work in the fields safer," said Valentina Makhno, head of the business school at the Kyiv School of Economics.
Representatives from the State Special Transport Service, the National Police, and the National Guard of Ukraine, who could be the recipients of these mowers, observed the trials at the training ground.
"In the de-occupied territories, there are many abandoned fields overgrown with dense grass and shrubs. Mowing machines paired with demining teams will be able to inspect them quickly. I am pleased to see Ukrainian developers offering quite interesting solutions for mowing grass, and we look forward to their certification at our research institute," explained Colonel Oleh Shuvarskyi, Head of the Mine Action Department and Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety.
The first stage of the hackathon took place on May 25, during which the developer teams presented their concepts. The task was to create robotic mowers capable of efficiently cutting grass and being inexpensive to produce, so that in the case of a mine explosion, the machine could be quickly replaced. The prices of the projects presented by the developers ranged from $5,500 to $19,500 per unit.
It should be noted that the issue of humanitarian demining is coordinated by Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yuliia Svyrydenko. The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine ensures the interaction of central executive authorities on mine action issues, particularly in the area of humanitarian demining.