Ukraine approves NEO-1 bomb disposal robot capable of detecting mines and grenades
The NEO-1, a robotic hardware and software system for remote detection of explosive devices, has been officially approved for service in Ukraine's defence forces.
Source: Ukraine's Ministry of Defence
Details: The NEO-1 robot is designed to clear explosive-contaminated areas while minimising risk to the operator. The Ministry of Defence said the platform was developed specifically at the request of frontline troops, taking into account the realities of modern warfare.
Quote: "The ground platform has dimensions of 85×81 cm and a height of 41 cm. It weighs about 60 kg, allowing it to be easily lifted from a pickup truck or pulled from a car boot by two service members. It can accelerate to 7 km/h, while its battery provides up to 8 hours of autonomous operation. Beyond mine clearance, NEO-1 is also capable of carrying up to 70 kg of cargo or towing a loaded cart weighing up to 120 kg."
More details: According to the defence ministry, the NEO-1 platform has a control range of up to 500 m, which can optionally be extended to 3 km. The ground drone is equipped with a camera system providing 10x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom, a three-axis stabiliser and a night vision camera. It transmits video in real time to the operator's monitor.
"The NEO-1 ground drone has a multi-channel pulsed metal detector with wide-format coverage, with the ability to remotely calibrate and control search channels, and automatic adjustment to soil type. It detects ferrous metals, gold, silver, OZM-72 mines, TM-series anti-tank mines in metal casings, anti-personnel grenades, shells, MON-series anti-personnel metal mines and others," the Ministry of Defence explained.
The ministry added that the metal detector has a selection (screening) mode for small objects such as shavings, screws and small pieces of shrapnel, as well as volume level adjustment. It has a scanning width of 139 cm and a detection depth of up to 60 cm.
Background: In early June, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence reported that Ukrainian bomb disposal experts operate 316 units of mechanised mine-clearance equipment. According to the ministry, the mechanised mine-clearance fleet consists mainly of foreign equipment, including GCS, DOK-ING and Božena machines, as well as Ukrainian-made GERMINA, Hart 5100 and Zmii systems, along with other specialised machines certified under national standards.
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