Pakistan to use robot to defuse bombs

Islamabad, Nov 25 (IANS) In a first of its kind, Pakistan will now use automatic vehicles equipped with a robotic hand, water cannon, x−ray machine and cameras to defuse explosives from a distance of around 100 metres.

The European Union had provided eight modern bomb disposal vehicles to Pakistan earlier this year, the Dawn reported Sunday. Four vehicles were given to Punjab and four to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The vehicle also has bomb protection suits, tool kits and a bomb blast “suppression blanket” that can be used for protection from bomb fragments, like ball bearings, which can kill people and cause damage to property, said an official from Rawalpindi.

“Earlier, technicians took the risk of defusing a bomb, but with the induction of the robot they would get the x−ray of the bomb to detect the fuse and explosive material’s nature and destroy it from a distance of 100 metres,” he said.

IANS 2012-11-25 13:48:16