Sniffing robots to help US military in Iraq

Increasing its reliance on robots in war, the US military will soon be using explosive-sniffing robots to better detect roadside bombs which account for more than 70 per cent of the US casualties in Iraq.

Fido is the first robot with an explosives sensor integrated into its body. iRobot Corp is filling the military’s first order of 100 in the southwest Ohio city and will begin shipping them over the next few months.

There are nearly 5,000 robots in Iraq and Afghanistan, up from about 150 in 2004. Soldiers use them to search caves and buildings for insurgents, detect mines and ferret out roadside and car bombs.

As the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, the US government is spending more money on military robots and the two major US robot-makers have increased production.