In order to clear the world of the threat posed by landmines and other explosive devices, robotic systems can play an important role. However, the development of such field robots that need to operate in hazardous conditions requires the careful consideration of multiple aspects related to the perception, mobility, and collaboration capabilities of the system. In the framework of a European challenge, the Artificial Intelligence for Detection of Explosive Devices - eXtended (AIDEDeX) project proposes to design a heterogeneous multi-robot system with advanced sensor fusion algorithms. This system is specifically designed to detect and classify improvised explosive devices, explosive ordnances, and landmines. This project integrates specialised sensors, including electromagnetic induction, ground penetrating radar, X-Ray backscatter imaging, Raman spectrometers, and multimodal cameras, to achieve comprehensive threat identification and localisation. The proposed system comprises a fleet of unmanned ground vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles. This article details the operational phases of the AIDEDeX system, from rapid terrain exploration using unmanned aerial vehicles to specialised detection and classification by unmanned ground vehicles equipped with a robotic manipulator. Initially focusing on a centralised approach, the project will also explore the potential of a decentralised control architecture, taking inspiration from swarm robotics to provide a robust, adaptable, and scalable solution for explosive detection.

翻译：为消除地雷及其他爆炸装置对全球的威胁，机器人系统可发挥重要作用。然而，开发需在危险环境中作业的此类野外机器人，需审慎考量系统在感知、机动性与协作能力等方面的多重因素。在欧洲挑战赛框架下，"爆炸装置探测人工智能拓展"(AIDEDeX)项目提出设计一种配备先进传感器融合算法的异构多机器人系统。该系统专用于探测与分类简易爆炸装置、爆炸弹药及地雷。项目集成专用传感器，包括电磁感应、探地雷达、X射线背散射成像、拉曼光谱仪及多模态相机，以实现全面的威胁识别与定位。所提系统由无人地面车辆与无人飞行器编队构成。本文详述AIDEDeX系统的作业阶段，涵盖从采用无人飞行器的快速地形勘探到配备机械臂的无人地面车辆进行的专业化探测与分类。项目初期聚焦集中式方法，后续将探索分散式控制架构的潜力，借鉴群体机器人技术以提供稳健、适应性强且可扩展的爆炸探测解决方案。