Harris demos haptic IED disposal tech

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. company Harris Corp. announced a recent successful demonstration of its next-generation improvised explosive disposal technology.

Harris has demonstrated a prototype of its next-generation haptic teleoperation technology. The haptic system, or touch-based technology, is designed to provide troops or emergency response bomb disposal authorities with enhanced three-dimensional situational awareness to identify and dispose of improvised explosive devices among other threats.

Officials say the haptic system, demonstrated at the recent Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Unmanned Systems North America 2009 conference in Washington, used sensors "embedded in robotic manipulators, and proprietary algorithms, to provide high-fidelity force feedback to the operator," a release said.

"Until today, two-dimensional camera views and simplistic manipulation control have limited the dexterity that is critical to handling explosive ordnance … Harris manipulation technology and three-dimensional visualization give soldiers a more immersive understanding of what they are dealing with," Wes Covell, Harris Defense Programs president, said in a statement.

"Our ultimate goal is to ensure that one day no one will ever have to walk up to an explosive device in order to neutralize it."