Sheriff Demining trains sappers to work with robotic “sapper assistants”
Deputy Director of Sheriff Demining LLC, Dmytro Riaby, speaking at the press conference “Sapper Assistant: a new innovative level of safety for sappers” at the press center of Interfax-Ukraine, said that the Training and Qualification Center SHERIFF Demining actively uses robotic “sapper assistant” systems to prepare specialists in humanitarian demining.
According to him, the “sapper assistant” is an innovative and effective product that helps save the lives of specialists in conditions where Ukraine remains one of the most heavily mined territories in the world. The robot can approach an explosive device, conduct analytics, and if necessary even move it, giving the sapper the ability to assess the situation remotely without direct exposure to danger.
Riaby emphasized that the key reason why SHERIFF Demining adopted this solution was the affordability of Ukrainian developments. While the average cost of a foreign demining robot, for example from the United States, is about UAH 3 million, the Ukrainian equivalent costs in the range of UAH 200–300 thousand, while maintaining high efficiency. “Price and quality strongly favor the Ukrainian market,” he stressed.
The Training and Qualification Center SHERIFF Demining has already trained more than 100 students on these robots. A new group of sappers is currently undergoing training and will soon take part in testing and practical exercises using robotic systems at a training ground. Students practice basic skills that will be useful in their future work — whether in humanitarian, operational, or military demining.
Separately, Dmytro Riaby noted the modularity of the “sapper assistant.” The basic robotic platform can be supplemented with various attachments: a manipulator, transport tools, a hydro-gun, and other instruments for handling explosive devices. “We want this to be a constructor assembled by the sapper himself. There is a base and different modules, and each sapper has his own vision and tasks,” he explained.
Sheriff Demining LLC is part of the SHERIFF holding — a company that is the first to support innovations in the field of security, implement technological solutions, and purchase new equipment samples to enhance the protection of specialists.
