Robotics team wins awards

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BURLINGAME, Calif., Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A team of three U.S. companies won first place in two of four events at the 2011 Robotic Range Clearance Competition in Wyoming.

Team D4C, composed of companies ECC, QinetiQ North America and Bobcat, was awarded first place in vegetation removal and surface ordnance removal.

Conducted by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army, the competition aimed to encourage robotic technology innovations from leaders in the industry. The competition was broken into four categories: automated vegetation clearance, surface debris clearance, geophysical mapping and subsurface anomaly excavation.

"Robotic range clearance is the way of the future and Team D4C has made great strides in developing a field-ready system," said ECC President and Chief Executive Officer Manjiv S. Vohra. "ECC's culture of safety, combined with our innovative and technological spirit, lends itself to this type of competition.

"Our Munitions Response Division team is continually seeking ways to make their job safer for everyone through technology."

Range clearance activities are typically dangerous and labor intensive. Using robotically controlled equipment, Team D4C is able to perform the task without putting technicians in the field, significantly improving safety while cutting costs.

Established in 1985, ECC is an employee-owned company that provides a complete range of services to support its clients' missions, including military munitions response, design-build, construction, environmental remediation, engineering and design management and energy.