The article
The Digger D-3 is by far my favorite robot to date. One reason is that is a robot meant for disposing of landmines. Another reason is that rather than using a metal detector and other various instruments to find landmines, it simply is sent in a direction in which there may or may not be landmines and beats any landmine it finds until it explodes. An operator remotely commands the D-3 a safe distance away. The D-3's hull is made of hardened steel plates in a "V" shape to limit any damage taken from anti tank mines and unexploded shells of sizes up to 81mm. The front of D-3 has the disposal mechanism for the landmines. It contains many tungsten hammers that spin very quickly and beat down into the ground a quarter of of meter. At full speed, the D-3 can reliably clear a comforting 100 percent of landmines from the ground at a rate of 1,000 square meters per hour (about 10,000 square feet per hour). The Digger D-3 is also designed for easier repair. The guts of the robot are straightforward to access, the armor has been designed to be easy to weld, and Digger even provides plans so that if you have the means, you can build your own spare parts.
future implications
The Digger D-3 is very good at disposing of landmines. It was made with the intention of being used in far flung communities that are crippled by the threat of landmines. In the future D-3 could be automated and several could be used to cooperate and clear a larger area much more quickly than if one were to be used.