Their small weight and volume allows multiple animals to be taken to the field. Rats are endemic in Africa, and as such resistant to most tropical diseases.
Rats show an explorative behaviour and an intrinsic motivation to search.
Being very suited for repetitive tasks, rats can be trained automatically. Conditioned on food reward, they have a strong motivation to remain concentrated. In an automated setting, permanently integrated control measures the performance of the detector. Area reduction of suspected mine areas. To mark the actual minefield is the most cost-effective part of humanitarian demining, as the majority of suspected area has no mines at all.