After the second world war, a proliferation of antipersonnel landmines took place. Millions of landmines wait patiently for their victim. The international campaign to ban landmines yielded the protocol of OTTAWA (end of 1997), ratified by numerous countries.

The mine clearance widely began and is entrusted to national mine clearance centres. It is performed according to procedures established by the UNO and using three techniques : manual mine clearance, smelling dogs and mechanical mine clearance. These techniques have to be improved; however, until yet, none of the R&D programs ended in a system effectively used by the deminers. Research is actually very expensive, the deminers prefer to use the fundings in mine clearance operations using conventionnal techniques instead of carrying on research on too sophisticated techniques.

Several scientists of Saint-Louis (a small city in FRANCE) decided to launch 

research and basic studies, with a strictly humanitarian motivation

 They decided to create an association: the

Association of Research for Innovative Techniques in humanitarian Mine clearance ,

A detailed documentation about landmines is collected by ARTID and accessible in this website  A lot of new ideas are reported there.

DEMICHAIN is a new concept of mechanical demining. It offers decisive advantages as compared to the flails: it is versatile, cheap, can work out very uneven grounds

Researches and studies are made in establishments of scientific education, by students within the framework of their school programme

The scientists, the engineers, the technicians, professionals or retired, can also bring their experience and their competence. 

• How to join ARTID

By post : A R T I D

by e-mail : association@artid.org

our Web site : www.artid.org

phone : René Joecklé, President (33) 3 89 67 54 82