Keep them away from danger
Landmines, these small bombs designed to maim, are still primarily detected by hand. Thousands of women and men, every day, continue to clear the land by probing the soil, kneeling, with a needle and a small shovel. However, where conditions permit, specialized machines like the DIGGER D-250 provide powerful support for humanitarian demining. With the operator safely remote-controlled, these machines can cut vegetation, turn the soil, and clear large areas at an accelerated pace. Their effectiveness, however, depends on the type of soil, the nature of explosive devices, the topography, and the climatic or security conditions, meaning they are still often underutilized.
The Swiss non-profit organization, Fondation Digger, has stood out since 1998 in its fight against these deadly devices. Its mission: to provide the most vulnerable with safer, faster, and more cost-effective solutions… and perhaps even more dignified ones. It all began in a garage with a group of young, naive, yet determined individuals. No one believed in it, but here we are…
Landmines and explosives left by war
Every day wasted leads to suffering
Landmines kill and maim, with civilians, especially children, being their primary victims.
Reconstruction requires their identification and eradication as a top priority.
However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the diversity of mined terrains. Agricultural areas, villages, roads, critical infrastructure, or collapsed buildings all require tailored approaches.
Machines like our DIGGER D-250, where they can be deployed, have the potential to make humanitarian demining:
- Faster
- Safer
- More cost-effective
We then develop numerous operations in collaboration with our demining partners, focused on the use of our high-performance machines.
Dangerous work
There are also dangers in our part of the world.
Risks to human life are not just confined to minefields.
The remote-controlled DIGGER SCRAPER system that we are developing for humanitarian demining is also useful in certain civil engineering situations:
– on unstable or steep terrain
– in the presence of toxic, radioactive or explosive substances
– in tunnels or mines
…
Keeping people out of harm’s way makes sense here, too, and it is also perfectly in line with the goal of the Digger Foundation:
…saving lives.
Expo Digger
Expo Digger, come and visit us, and experience what we do every day
In the Expo Digger, we open our doors, so you can see what we do first hand and share our passion.
The Expo Digger is an interactive space where the public accompanied by our guides, can:
– immerse themselves in the extraordinary adventure that is the history of the Digger Foundation
– feel the experience of the people who face the scourge of mines and other explosive remnants of war
– discover the different generations of demining machines, at the very places where they were developed
– understand the challenge of mine clearance in the 21st century
– and make many other discoveries…
Don’t hesitate, come and visit us!
