iRobot (yes, that iRobot) is filling their first order from the US military for 100 PackBot
robots fitted with new ICx Fido explosive detectors. Already, there are
an estimated 5,000 robots of various types deployed in Iraq and
Afghanistan -- up from 150 in 2004 -- with $1.7 billion earmarked for
ground-based military robots through 2012. So just how did military
personal detect bombs in the olden days? Well, soldiers would stand
back as far as possible with a rope and drag hooks over the suspected
piles of rubble or abandoned vehicles in hopes of disarming or
detonating them. With an estimated 70% of all US causalities in Iraq
caused by road-side bombs, the $165,000 PackBot will certainly receive
a warm welcome by the boots on Article Link
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