Automating Dangerous Tasks in EOD with 3D Vision

01 Story

Heinrich Hirdes KMR is active in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) services, addressing unexploded ammunition left behind after armed conflicts. These unexploded ordnance (UXO) items pose severe safety and environmental risks in everyday life. EOD operations include searching, identification, defusing, salvage, transport, and ultimately disposal.

Traditional disposal relies on burning ammunition in ovens with strict explosive-capacity limits to mitigate the risk of shrapnel in case of detonation. To comply with these limits, ammunition often must be mechanically separated using band saws. This process is dangerous, slow, and exposes operators and equipment to significant risk.

The concept behind this solution emerged by industrial contract research to separation technologies of Fraunhofer to Hirdes. The result was identified for a safer, faster, and more environmentally sustainable disposal method that could serve as a unique differentiator in commercial EOD services.

02 Challenges

The primary challenge lies in operating safely under extreme and unpredictable conditions. The system is designed for field deployment, potentially close to former or active conflict zones. Operators may be under stress and may not be robotics experts, making ease of use and intrinsic safety critical design requirements.

Each UXO item has its own history. Ammunition may be deformed or damaged, and no two objects can be assumed identical. To address this variability, a 3D measurement of each UXO is performed before processing. Based on this measurement, the software automatically determines processing parameters and robot paths.

During operation, a thermal camera continuously monitors the ammunition and regulates induction heating power. Operators can adjust robot speed and heating power, but only within predefined safety windows. Hard safety limits cannot be exceeded, ensuring that even non-specialist operators can run the system safely without advanced robotic training.

Unlike high-speed production automation, this application does not prioritize aggressive cycle times. Safety distances and conservative process timing are deliberately used to minimize risk, reducing pressure on accuracy, speed, or placement precision requirements.

03 Solution

Instead of mechanically cutting ammunition into multiple pieces, Hirdes needs only one cut. The new approach aims to remove the explosive content in a single operation by heating the shell until the explosive melts minimal and detaches from the inner wall. Gravity then allows the entire explosive block to be removed safely. This process is inspired by the children game “hot wire” and requires precise control tailored to each ammunition type. The system is implemented as a fully mobile robotic solution, integrated into standard 20-foot containers. This containerized approach allows global deployment and rapid setup in remote or hazardous locations. The containerized cell includes:

• A robotic manipulator
• A Zivid 2+ MR60
• An induction heating system
• A lowering table designed to smoothly extract molten explosive material
• Multiple cameras enabling remote operation from several hundred meters away

The 3D vision system plays a critical role in capturing the geometry of each UXO. Multiple scans are stitched together using the Zivid SDK to generate a complete point cloud of the object, even in harsh environmental conditions ranging from –10 °C to +50 °C and up to 100% humidity. Development was carried out in collaboration with automation partner Wandelbots, who adapted existing robotic applications based on Zivid technology to meet the specific safety and operational requirements of EOD disposal. What distinguishes this solution is its combination of robotic handling, 3D measurement, thermal monitoring, and controlled induction heating, enabling explosive removal with dramatically reduced risk compared to state-of-the-art.

04 Results

The robotic disposal system delivers a tenfold improvement over state-of-the-art methods:

• Up to 10× faster disposal compared to traditional processes
• Approximately 10× reduction in dangerous operations, resulting in a significantly safer workflow

End customers are very satisfied with the results, validating both the technical approach and the operational benefits. The success of the system has already led to requests for further additional robotic applications involving 3D imaging, and the solution is being deployed globally. The project demonstrates how advanced 3D vision and robotics can transform one of the most dangerous stages of EOD operations into a safer, faster, and more scalable process.