We are working at the smallest and cheapest humanitarian demining machine ever realized, based on a commercial two-wheel tractor, the powertiller, aimed at area preparation in areas contaminated by anti-personnel landmines.
As LOCOSTRA, that was conceived after, Disarmadillo is designed to be appropriate and locally sustainable. Components are either commercial off the shelf or can be easily manufactured in any not specialized local workshop. Disarmadillo+ is the third version of PAT (Participatory Agricultural Technology) machine, the first open-source machine for humanitarian demining and among the first open-source machines worldwide. The description of the original machine is available online in Emanuela Elisa Cepolina's PhD Thesis and the technical drawings are in the Appendix. Disarmadillo technical information are available in Documentation page. Disarmadillo+ technical drawings will be available soon, after testing the machine.
Disarmadillo is the first demining machine designed to be re-converted to agriculture when demining is over.
Please see below for news about Disarmadillo and visit sub-pages to find more about what we are doing and where you can help.
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Together with the Italian Institute of Technology, in the framework of ARTES4.0 activities, we are working on DISARMADILLO+, a whole new machine!
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We are very happy to have brought DISARMADILLO to the 7th Mine Action Technology Workshop.
After more than 10 years of development, with contributions from many partners around the world and Snail Aid members and friends, all in-kind, we have been able to present the first open-source robotic platform to the mine action community. The work keeps on going and contributions are always welcome!
More can be found on the pamphlet we have prepared for the workshop, available for download here.
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The Remote Control of Disarmadillo after the improvements made by Edoardo Del Bianco. Thanks to Edo for his job and video!
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The latest issue of the Italian magazine Focus Extra dedicated to Robots includes a small box about DISARMADILLO
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Disarmadillo moved its first steps driven remotely!
After few design iterations of the remote control unit, the final version is ready and working.
The work goes on thanks to the very nice and constant support of prof. Gigi Acquilino, teacher at Odero technical technical high school, thanks to the involvement of Edoardo Del Bianco, who chosed Disarmadillo as argument of his bachelor thesis in mechanical engineering at the university of Genova and thanks to the partners who constantly support us.
We are particularly thankful to Carlo Navire, engineer at Isibond, who came to visit us recently to provide advises on the skid steering system.
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Here are some videos of DISARMADILLO.
Disarmadillo moved its first steps driven remotely!
After few design iterations of the remote control unit, the final version is ready and working.
The work goes on thanks to the very nice and constant support of prof. Gigi Acquilino, teacher at Odero technical technical high school, thanks to the involvement of Edoardo Del Bianco, who chosed Disarmadillo as argument of his bachelor thesis in mechanical engineering at the university of Genova and thanks to the partners who constantly support us.
We are particularly thankful to Carlo Navire, engineer at Isibond, who came to visit us recently to provide advises on the skid steering system.
The video below shows the testing of the tractor unit mechanics at Odero technical high school in Genova, Italy.
The one below shows the testing of the remote control logic on the tractor unit (switched off). This test took place at Odero technical high school in Genova, italy