FORAGER
HUMANITARIAN SENSING
2024
"What if minefields could be cleared faster, reducing risk to life and helping communities recover after war?"
FORAGER
HUMANITARIAN SENSING
2024
THE SITUATION
Clearing minefields is slow, dangerous work that continues long after the conflicts that put the mines there have ended.
Advances in radar technologies originally developed for the automotive sector are creating new opportunities for humanitarian applications. Compact, low-power sensing systems designed for vehicle safety might offer a new way to detect concealed explosive threats from small UAVs - potentially speeding up clearance, reducing risk to operators, and helping affected land return to civilian use sooner.
The Ministry of Defence, through Dstl, wanted to know whether the technology was actually up to it.
FOUR STAGES
01 | QUESTION FRAMING
Where in the spectrum could the answer actually be?
We started by assessing the existing technology and product landscape, identifying underexplored areas of the RF spectrum with real potential for the application. Before we built anything, we needed to know where in the spectrum the answer was most likely to live.
02 | INVESTIGATION
Testing the physics, first principles and real measurements together.
We developed and tested a set of sensing concepts, combining first-principles analysis with targeted physical measurements to confirm that theory and real-world performance lined up. Then we built an integrated digital twin in Ansys, capturing key electromagnetic effects, target interactions and platform dynamics. The twin let us explore system performance across realistic scenarios and generate representative data for downstream work.
03 | PROTOTYPING
From signal processing to a working payload concept.
We developed a prototype signal processing approach and assessed the system’s ability to detect the objects of interest. By comparing approaches against the digital twin, we could identify the most promising direction and define a clear path to a deployable capability. We brought it together as FORAGER: a target UAV payload concept grounded in the underlying physics and aligned with the operational constraints.
04 | ANSWERS
Here's how.
We advanced the concept to Technology Readiness Level 2, with a clear path to practical demonstration. The work de-risked further development, generated valuable intellectual property, and gave Dstl the basis to make informed decisions about follow-on investment. It also provided a foundation for thinking about how emerging sensing capabilities could shape the future of land clearance.
VOICE FROM THE WORK
Dr James Brown
Supersense
THE ANSWER
FORAGER: a UAV-deployed sensing concept, advanced to TRL 2, with a clear path to demonstration.
A radar approach originally designed to keep cars safe, applied to one of the hardest detection problems there is. Concept proven, physics validated, IP generated, ready for the next phase.
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