Unmanned bomb detector ready to roll

DRDO has developed a remote operated vehicle, which would detect nuclear radiation levels and extract hazardous material or bombs, reports Satyen Mohapatra.

A Remote Operated Vehicle, which would detect nuclear radiation levels and extract hazardous material or bombs, has been developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation.

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Called Daksh, the vehicle has an onboard gun to blast through locked doors, break windshields or glass panes of cars carrying bombs.

Daksh has recently undergone extensive user trials with the Army and is slated to be fielded for final confirmatory trials in the first quarter of 2008, DRDO officials told HT recently.

The radiation detector can be remote controlled within a range of a 500-metre line of sight or up to three floors in a building. It is expected to be an invaluable asset in the hands of bomb disposal squads.

It is also capable of towing a suspected vehicle away from a crowded area, the officials said.

Daksh has been successfully developed in 30 months by DRDO’s research and development engineers in its Pune laboratory. The project was executed by Alok Mukherjee under the guidance of director B Rajagopalan.

The vehicle can climb slopes and approaches to culverts and can be deployed in varied terrain if fitted with additional broad tyres for slushy and marshy stretches. It can extract bombs from small culverts and drains, the officials said.

With a robust manipulator arm, detachable grippers, special attachments and hooks, it can be used to extract explosive devices of different sizes and shapes under cars and other places not easily accessible. The manipulator arm is capable of handling loads of upto 20 kg.

It has multiple cameras on board to help the operator drive and handle sensitive objects.

After removing a suspected item, Daksh takes it to an isolated area, scans it with a portable X-Ray device and defuse a bomb with an on-board explosive-based water jet disrupter.