Robots to the rescue
(Credit:
Khaleej Times)
In this corner, weighing in at about 25 pounds from Haifa, Israel, is yet another contender in the man portable category of life-saving/life-depriving robots. The VIPer climbs stairs, sniffs out IEDs, totes an Uzi and leads the way with built-in mapping all by remote control from the safety of your APC.
(Credit:
Army Technology)
Moving up to the 60-pound weight class, sniffin' and shootin' out of Boston, Mass., with 30,000 EOD/IED missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, is the Foster Miller Talon. Used in HAZMAT as well as military applications, a version of this little guy was supposedly the first robot in at ground zero on 9/11, and is strong enough to "drag a firefighter out of harm's way," according to the manufacturer.
(Credit:
The Chosun Ilbo)
Another Iraq veteran, ROBHAZ-DT3, was bolted up by the Yujin Robot and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology to help South Korean troops carry out EOD and rescue operation in rough desert terrain.
With all this heavy lifting, you'd think they'd add a bottle opener.
Mark Rutherford is a West Coast-based freelance writer. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Email him at markr@milapp.com. Disclosure. 
