Synopsis
Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. But with millions of pieces of ordnance left over from conflicts all over the world, it’s necessary to detect and remove explosive remnants of war to protect civilians. To assist with this hazardous work, NATO scientists at the University of Florence in Italy have developed the first generation of a new EOD robot. The “UGO-1st” is smaller, smarter and more agile than previous equipment and it has two innovative types of radar to detect and identify underground objects quickly.
Footage includes video of the UGO-1st robot in action at the University of Florence, Italy and interview with the project lead.
Transcript
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)
Dylan White
When a bomb needs to be defused, you might not want to be the one that goes first. That’s why NATO scientists made a robot just right for the job. They call it… the “UGO-1st”.
THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION
Presents
NATO SCIENCE
THE ROBOT THAT GOES FIRST
WITH DYLAN P. WHITE
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)
Dylan White
Bomb disposal is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. But it’s vital to detect and remove unexploded ordnance before it can hurt people. Every year, thousands of civilians, the majority of them children, lose their lives and limbs to landmines or other explosive remnants of war.
With their new robot, NATO scientists are making the job of clearing these deadly devices a little safer. Here’s our scientist at the University of Florence in Italy with more.
Project: Holographic and Impulse Subsurface Radar for Landmine and Improvised Explosive Device Detection
Participants: Italy, Ukraine, United States
Supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme
Professor Lorenzo Capineri, Professor of Electronics, University of Florence, Italy
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)
Professor Lorenzo Capineri, University of Florence
Using robots to detect landmines isn’t new, but the UGO-1st is unique in two significant ways.
First, it’s smaller and more agile than many other mine-detecting robots. That means it can get to work on difficult terrains and manoeuvre around obstacles. These are key talents in a disaster area.
Secondly, it uses two different kinds of radar. The first is a fast-acting impulse radar that stops the robot as soon as it detects an object, setting off an alarm. The second is a holographic radar that creates images, rather than sounds, to show the operator what kind of object has stopped the robot. A third sensor, a three dimensional depth camera, provides additional information about the soil relief to improve the radar imaging. Is it an explosive or is it just a can?
This means the operator can do the whole detection phase from a safe distance.
This project is developed jointly by Italy, the United States and NATO partner Ukraine, a country that has a lot of dangerous old ordnance from former conflicts. Thanks to support from NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme, we can help them make their land safer without putting people at risk.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)
Dylan White
Check out the rest of the videos in the series to learn more about NATO science.
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