Shoe 'can detect landmines'

2005-09-29 13:01

Singapore - A shoe with six legs aimed at protecting people from landmines has been developed at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), researchers said on Thursday.

The device, which is fitted to an individual's footwear, can detect landmines and avoid triggering them, said Associate Professor Franz Konstantin Fuss, deputy director at the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre and project officer Adin Tan Ming.

"We hope this idea can lead to a next generation of footwear, which is able to protect the feet and lives of people who live in fear of landmines," The Straits Times quoted Fuss as saying.

Each leg of the "Mine Shoe" has detectors to spot buried mines, the researchers said. The leg lifts in a split second to avoid triggering the mine.

The inventors said they filed a patent with the US Patent Office last month.

Nearly 80 countries are affected by landmines. They are a major problem in Afghanistan, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, Angola, Mozambique and other countries.

Demining agencies estimate that one person is killed every 22 minutes by landmines somewhere in the world. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA