British scientists are developing a "life-saving" new camera system which is capable of detecting landmines hidden underground.
The team, at the University of Bath, were awarded STG100,000 ($A209,800) of funding from Sir Bobby Charlton's charity Find A Better Way (FABW).
There are an estimated 110 million landmines buried across the world with the potential to kill and maim adults and children for decades to come.
FABW said landmine detection techniques have barely changed since the Second World War - relying primarily on metal detection.
However, modern day landmines are usually made of plastic, making them "extremely difficult" to remove. One landmine can cost between STG120 ($A251.76) and STG600 to find and clear.
The team is developing technology that can differentiate between images of plastic and metallic elements within a single device, at depths of up to 10cm underground.
Initial tests on the camera system, which will work on varied terrain, have been "positive" in uncovering hidden pieces of dielectric (materials which are poor conductors of electricity) and metallic samples.
Sir Bobby Charlton, founder of FABW, said: "The UN estimates that it would take more than 1,100 years to clear the estimated 110 million landmines situated in 70 countries.
"As a charity we are determined to find a practicable technology solution that can bring an end to this humanitarian tragedy."
"I set up Find A Better Way to search for more effective technology to detect landmines and explosive remnants of war after witnessing first-hand the devastation these can cause to individuals and communities.
"Our partnership with the University of Bath will help us to make significant progress with our aim to deliver significant improvements in demining detection capability, to ultimately negate the effects landmines and explosive remnants of war pose across the globe."
The research funding, awarded via a competition organised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, will explore advanced capacitive/inductive camera technology.
Dr Manuchehr Soleimani, of the University of Bath, aims to create an affordable, lightweight technology that can be integrated within a robot to identify different devices across a variety of locations.
"Currently, manual metal detectors sweep minefields in a slow and time-consuming process which cannot detect non-metallic landmines," the associate professor said.
"We aim to develop an integrated technology to detect both metallic and non-metallic landmines and to improve the speed and reliability of this process."
Professor Gary Hawley, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the university, added: "It is exciting to see early positive results from this important, life-saving research which could really benefit people and communities around the world."
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