The first step towards automated demining: results of the AI hackathon in Kyiv
06.05.2025
On May 5, the AI Labeling Sprint was held in Kyiv - a hackathon dedicated to creating a training base for artificial intelligence that will help detect explosive objects (EOIs) using drones.
The event brought together over 50 students from technical universities in Ukraine. The event became a practical stage of an initiative aimed at creating a high-quality dataset for training artificial intelligence algorithms - and this is one of the key steps towards the technological transformation of demining in Ukraine.
How does it work?
Hackathon participants manually labeled thousands of images of VNPs captured by UAV sensors during field work. All of these labels will be integrated into the training base for AI, which will in the future be able to automatically recognize threats in aerial photos and videos.
The winning team, Smart Hackers from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, deserves special attention, as they processed 230 images and labeled over 2,400 GNPs. For their work, the students received a certificate worth $2,000 from UNDP in Ukraine and the Government of Luxembourg.
Why is this necessary?
Today, speed and accuracy of mine clearance are critical. Thanks to the efforts of the hackathon participants, we are taking the next step towards creating a national AI database that:
🔸speed up the analysis of large image arrays;
🔸reduce the burden on UAV operators and analysts;
🔸will help to identify danger in the combat zone more quickly.
Who was involved?
The AI Labeling Sprint Hackathon is organized at the initiative of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Demine Ukraine platform, the Humanitarian Demining Center, UADamage - a platform for the reconstruction of Ukraine with the support of UNDP Ukraine and the Government of Luxembourg with the assistance of the Kyiv School of Economics.
Mentoring support for the participants was provided by representatives of international and Ukrainian organizations, including UADamage - the Ukrainian reconstruction platform, The HALO Trust Ukraine, Dropla Tech, Safe Pro, as well as veterans with experience working with UAVs and analyzing satellite imagery.
What's next?
The hackathon is just the first stage. The next steps will be:
▪️improving the AI model based on collected data;
▪️testing and obtaining practical results;
▪️Gradual introduction into demining processes.
“Our strategy in the field of humanitarian demining is a combination of human experience, modern technologies and high-quality data. We strive to make demining in Ukraine faster, more accurate and safer. A future without mines begins with innovation, and each marker placed by the hackathon participants is a concrete step towards this goal,” concluded Andriy Datsyuk, Deputy Director of the Center for Digital Transformation and Innovation.