Air Force looking to develop foot-long subterranean defusers

While it probably won't matter much once we're pitting one robot army against another, it appears that the US Air Force is looking into new "subterranean vehicles" that could be used to navigate to underground bombs, traps, or nuclear pods and defuse the situation from beneath. Although we figured the USAF would focus the majority of its attention somewhere above the Earth's surface, the newfangled moles would be deployed a safe distance from the target and "autonomously navigate itself to the target" while cleverly avoiding buried obstacles on its route. While larger digging machines can certainly accomplish the same task, the catch here is that the life-saving worm must not exceed "12 inches" in length and be able to run off of minimal battery power. Similar to other "teams" of robotic creatures feeding off one another to accomplish complex goals, the Air Force envisions swarms of these diggers penetrating and neutralizing potential hotbeds for underground explosives, all without sacrificing human lives. Now if we only had one of these bad boys to sneak up into Best Buy's PS3 holding closet last night, we'd have a winner.

[Via Defense Tech]

[pimp @ Nov 17th 2006 1:26PM]

I fuckin love Digdug!

[LaSean @ Nov 17th 2006 1:36PM]

Before any knuckleheads post -- no, that is not an actual satellite image of the test site.

[elsongonzaes @ Nov 17th 2006 2:01PM]

Tremors 4

[elsongonzaes @ Nov 17th 2006 2:02PM]

Tremors 4

[enzo @ Nov 17th 2006 3:00PM]

Remember those drilling machines Shredder and his henchmen used in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series? I've always wanted one of those.

[alex @ Nov 17th 2006 3:59PM]

Ah, brings back good memories. Love digdug too, but of course I'm dating myself.

[Brandon West @ Nov 17th 2006 4:35PM]

What exactly is a nuclear pod? 6G with a touchscreen?

[david @ Nov 17th 2006 6:36PM]

I love Digdug! (Starts up ancient 75 Mhz computer and plays the game.)

[Ignacio @ Nov 17th 2006 7:05PM]

Yay! DigDug! :D

[Aaron @ Nov 17th 2006 7:46PM]

ah Pookas and Fygars... Digdug was such a great game