Publication Type
Magazine Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
2010
Abstract
Rats are traditionally viewed as pests in most societies. APOPO turns this stereotype on its head by training rats to detect mines in a wide-scale effort to push forward demining efforts in post-conflict countries. Mine Detection Rats (MDRs), also affectionately called HeroRATs, are a sustainable landmine detection technology, adapted to low resources settings. Rats have a highly developed sense of smell. They can detect the smallest traces of explosives emitted by the mines. Rats are intelligent creatures that also love to perform repetitive tasks for a small food reward. They live up to 8 years, giving a good return of the initial nine months training investment. And it is key that these rats only weigh a maximum of 1.5 – 2 kilos, and therefore they are at minimal risk to set off a mine.
Discipline
Social Welfare
Publication
Social Space
ISSN/ISBN
1793-7809
Publisher/Conference
Lien Centre
Copyright Owner and License
Lien Centre for Social Innovation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Citation
Lien Centre for Social Innovation.
APOPO: Building a Rats-based Detection Technology with the Capacity to Detect Landmines. (2010). Social Space. 132-135.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lien_research/57