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Technology for saving lives, limbs and land

Technology for changing the way landmines are detected and removed. That's right - landmines.

Technology – Mountain View, California, United States

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Why care about clearing landmines? Didn’t Princess Diana fix that problem a while back?

In so many words: no.  

Experts estimate that it will take at least another century before the 72 countries plagued by post-conflict landmines are fully cleared. In the meantime, thousands of civilians - mostly children - are killed and maimed every year by these deadly devices. 

Also, don't forget about the fertile land that is unused due to fear of these devices.  Can you believe that in Azerbaijan 71 percent of landmine victims were harmed while farming and herding? And that in Angola, food production has been reduced by 25% due to landmines?

Imagine the impact if, together, we remove these landmines.

Why Red Lotus Technologies? 

Red Lotus designs and builds devices to help people all over the world find landmines.

Our first product, PETALS LIVE, enables metal detector operators to see 'silhouettes' of objects buried in the ground. It’s sort of like an X-ray, but for finding bombs. Our technology helps operators tell the difference between a landmine and other metal in the ground (like a soda can), increasing both the safety and efficiency of the mine clearance process.  

Watch a geek out session with our lead inventor, Lahiru Jayatilaka.

Why help Red Lotus prototype PETALS in Cambodia?

 Cambodia continues to clear landmines that were laid over 30 years ago. Organizations like the Landmine Relief Fund have spent countless hours, days, weeks, months, years....working with metal detectors to remove landmines. It is for this reason that we are partnering with the Landmine Relief Fund.  By involving experts in our design cycle we will accelerate time to market and increase the quality of our end-product.

Boiling it down: Design feedback => Faster to market + higher quality product => More land cleared and more lives saved.

Not convinced? View this message from Bill Morse from the Landmine Relief fund.

What's this about helping Red Lotus to clear a specific minefield?

Our rewards back to you are unique - just like us! 

Beyond helping us improve the PETALS technology, your gift will actually clear a plot of land in Cambodia.  Once cleared, this land will be used for a school for 100 families living in Anlong K'bal, a small village about 2 hours north of Angkor Wat. This village has never had a school. By giving to Red Lotus Technologies, you can help turn this minefield into a school.

Feel like your gift to Red Lotus Technologies is an amazing two-for-one deal? Well, it is.  We're all about giving back and building technology to make the world a better place.  If we surpass our goal of clearing 100% of the minefield, we'll put any remaining funds toward clearing more mined land.

Why you guys (and gal)?

Lahiru once hauled one ton of sand into an indoor gymnasium in order to build an indoor demining training environment for a PETALS study. He has also come dangerously close to sunstroke on multiple occasions while observing people use PETALS on U.S. military bases in Missouri. More recently, he decided to take time off from his Phd. in Computer Science at Stanford to step up the craziness (just a little bit) and take PETALS all the way to Cambodia! Don’t worry, some of your money will cover his health insurance.

Lahiru and a few friends built this training area from scratch for testing the effects of PETALS as a training tool. In total, there were six sand lanes inside this gym.Lahiru and a few friends built this training area from scratch for testing the effects of PETALS as a training tool. In total, there were six sand lanes inside this gym.

Robin has spent the last 10 years dedicating her work to helping marginalized populations.  Her sense of adventure as led her to some very interesting projects.  She lived with Burmese refugees in Thailand where she taught sexual and reproductive health, moved into a small house in rural South Africa where she worked on an education program for marginalized kids, and didn't pass up the opportunity to interview children in the slums on the Thailand-Cambodia border.  She's thrilled to be on this ride with Red Lotus Technologies and can't wait to hop back on a plane for yet another adventure.

Robin on a sinking boat in a flooding Mekong River in Cambodia - and smiling?Robin on a sinking boat in a flooding Mekong River in Cambodia - and smiling?

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