DRDO offers anti-explosive 'robots' to Centre

With terrorists striking Delhi and some major cities, the country's premier R&D institution, DRDO, is hard selling three of its anti-explosive devices to the Home Ministry to tackle the threat.     

"We are in discussions with the Home Ministry to sell our three devices — a remotely operated bomb disposal vehicle (ROV), 'Sujav' Electronic Support Measure and 'Safari' Electronic Counter Measure — to agencies dealing with explosive-related cases," a top DRDO scientist said here today.     

Developed by Pune-based Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) of the DRDO, the ROV could be used for disposing off bombs without the personnel coming in contact with explosive material.     

Since the time army began using the devices in insurgency-affected Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and North Eastern States three years ago, they have been of great attraction both among the personnel and the public, who get to watch the machine in action on several occasions.     

ROV robot could be used by the defence and paramilitary forces for mine detection and nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) threat surveys too and it does the job without exposing the men to threats from anti-personnel mines or NBC weapons, DRDO scientists said.     

A totally indigenous product, the robot has been developed by a team of 10 engineers about five years ago and it promises to drastically cut down loss of life of personnel in the urban warfare setting.