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Mesa Robotics' mini-tank is perfectly happy on point (video)
The Acer ground-bot from Mesa Robotics does way more than your average 4,500-pound semi-autonomous mule. In addition to carrying kit and providing that extra bit of ballistic steel-deflecting cover, it also scans for IEDs using ground-penetrating radar and then autonomously switches into "flail" mode when it finds one -- digging up and detonating that critter with barely a break in its 6MPH stride. Did we mention it also acts as a landing pad for small drones? No? That's because the video after the break says it all. Cue obligatory guitars, game controllers and armchair gung-ho.
The STARRAY ferrets out IEDs
It's really not so hot to look at, but HiEnergy Technologies, Inc.'s new STARRAY IED (improvised explosive device, i.e. bomb) detection system could hit the mark for the military and bomb-squads the nation over. The STARRAY, which apparently underwent extensive military testing with live ordnance late last year, is capable of detecting explosives between 40 seconds and 5 minutes (depending on quantity and distance) all the while handling harsh terrain, crossing ditches, or climbing stairs. We don't think the STARRAY is autonomous (though we wish it were) since they mention it being a system mounted on a Northrop Grumman Andros Mark V rover. So how much does the bot with HiEnergy Atometer cost? $450,000, that's how much. If only they had one in Ravenna, Ohio.[Via Robot Gossip]
