Digger DTR
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The Digger Foundation is a Swiss humanitarian and non profit organization. The Foundation is based in Tavannes, Switzerland, and its goal is to promote technological assistance project in humanitarian demining. The Foundation produce demining vehicles marketed and branded “Digger DTR (Demining Technologies)”.
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[edit] History
The founder of Digger DTR, Frédéric Guerne, had worked as an engineer at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne on detection’s mines projects, whose ended in 1997. Passionate and engaged, in 1998 he gathered around him and a new project about thirty volunteer from different but complementary horizons and know-how. It started as an association and Digger DTR became a foundation in 2005.
The anteater is the symbol of Digger. Its long, tubular snouts and its tapering tongue helps it to search, dig and clean the ground!
[edit] Produced machines
[edit] D-1
First Digger’s engine, this little tank looks like an armoured lawn mower of four tones, made for clearing mine fields before demining. In some case, vegetation may be very dense and hiding trapped mines, extremely dangerous for the hand worker staff. D-1, operated by remote control, allows doubling the global demining speed and lowing risks of accidents by 80%!
[edit] D-2
Taking in consideration remarks and comments of deminers following tests of D-1, engineers and technicians of Digger DTR developed a new concept: the Digger D-2. Capable of vegetation clearance, this engine has also the ability of demining. The main change is the flail unit. Hitting violently the ground, it digs it to 20cm. Unlike D-1, D-2 can destroy mines. After its passage, most of mines are exploded and work of deminers is easier. That helps to increase from five to seven times the speed of demining. For its new task, D-2 is equipped with a more powerful engine, 140 horsepower against 57 horsepower for D-1. However, human control remains essential to insure a cleaning of 100% before allowing a farmer to go back on his lands safely. In fact, a forgotten mine in the ground is going to cause a fatal accident sooner or later.
[edit] Tests and success
Summer 2002, the D-1 prototype is tested in Kosovo. This operation showed the weaknesses of the machine. Improved, it is extensively tested in Switzerland, with the cooperation of the Swiss Army. Finally, at the request of deminers for a most effective tool, Digger decided not to produce this model.
2006, the first D-2 vehicle is engaged in Sudan, in a test operation, in collaboration with the Swiss Foundation For Mine Action (FSD), the financing of the city of Geneva (Switzerland), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss Army, the Canton of Berne (Switzerland) and Swiss Solidarity.
Extreme conditions, like temperature of 45°C, dense vegetation or very hard ground had taught the Digger staff about potentiality of their tool. After 9 months of testing, Digger D-2 had been integrated into a demining team of the Swiss Foundation For Mine Action. The team was accredited by the United Nations in October 2006, essential step before working in mine fields. Then, this D-2 worked for a couple of months near Kurmuk, village on the Ethiopian and Sudanese border, until June 2007. Following good results in harsh conditions, UNO recommended this machine to other potential users in Sudan. Following this advice, the British organization “The Development Initiative (TDI)” purchased a standardized D-2 in July 2007 for their South-Sudan program.
D-2 has also been certified by ITEP (International Test and Evaluation Program for Humanitarian Demining), a neutral and international organization. The very positive report may be downloaded on their web site (http://www.itep.ws/pdf/DiggerD2_PTAfinal.pdf).
[edit] Philosophy
“You have survived war – you shall now survive peace”. [1] .
As Non Profit Organization, the Digger Foundation’s goal is to promote technical assistance for humanitarian demining.
The Foundation supports demining efforts regardless of their location or religious, ethnic or political orientation.
It can support only projects motivated by an active and profound humanitarian spirit of assistance.
The main task of the Digger Foundation is to provide a technological solution to deminers, to raise their effectiveness and the security of their work. It offers quality solutions and thinks its engine for field adapted reparations and maintenance.
[edit] Technical data sheet Digger D-2[2]
[edit] Dimensions data
- Overall length 5450 mm
- Overall width 2250 mm
- Height 1800 mm
- Mass total 7300 kg
- Armour 10 mm hardened steel
[edit] Engine
- Type John Deere, 4 cylinders, turbodiesel
- Displacement 4500 cm3
- Max power 140 ch
- Max torque 540 Nm
[edit] Powertrain
Type Hydrostatic, electronic remote control
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Bosnie-Herzégovine : soutien important de l'État à l'action antimines de la Croix-Rouge
- ^ Mechanical Demining Equipment Catalogue 2006, GICHD, Geneva March 2006. (pages 130,131,163)
