DESIGNING ROBOTS BOMB DESTRUCTION SPECIALIST In the 1990s the US Army began using robots to get rid of bombs The Talon is one of these robots The Talon IV is the latest model It weighs 168 pounds 76 kg The Talon has brought a new way of thinking about military uses for robots It’s small agile and controlled with a remote The Talon is also very durable One was blown into a river by an explosion It was driven out of the water and reused Another one was damaged and then repaired 13 times cameras sensors and an arm that looks like a claw A soldier picks up a controller that looks like those used for video games He steers the Talon toward the bomb The Talon moves on tracks like a tank Cameras let the operator see the explosive device High overhead a Predator drone is circling Like the Talon this airborne robot is controlled remotely Its cameras watch over the scene At a distant air force base a pilot is steering the
A US Predator drone can fly 135 miles per hour 217 km h Predator remotely He can warn the EOD unit if danger is nearby Military drones can also take photos Back on the ground the Talon operator nudges the remote control In response the Talon carefully places a small plastic explosive on top of the bomb The Talon backs away With everyone at a safe distance a soldier presses a button A loud explosion rips through the air Dirt shoots skyward The mission is a success The plastic explosive blew up the bomb making it harmless
Whether in the sky or on the ground robots are important military equipment Advanced sensors help them navigate Rugged designs keep them running in rough conditions Highly skilled operators control them remotely In today’s military robots help win battles and save lives ALL SHAPES SIZES AND ABILITIES A robot is a machine programmed to perform certain tasks Military robots are designed to assist and protect soldiers They do jobs that would put soldiers lives at risk The Talon’s ability to remotely destroy bombs is one example of this Each military robot is different Robots can take pictures launch weapons walk like dogs fly or even swim They can be small enough to fit in a soldier’s hand or bigger than a car Some even look like they belong in a science-fiction movie One of the tiniest military robots is the Throwbot XT Soldiers can toss it
Russia demonstrated the Uran-9 at a military show in 2017 into hard-to-reach areas Then they can drive it around remotely One of the largest is Russia’s Uran-9 It weighs more than 11 tons 10 metric tons The Uran-9 has antitank missile launchers Robots come in many shapes and sizes Still they have some things in common They can sense
