U.S. Army sends robots to protect troops

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says it's sending robots and high-tech equipment to Afghanistan to protect troops targeted by a record number of attacks this year.

The military is sending 650 small robots called Recon Scouts at a cost of about $13.4 million, USA Today reported.

The Recon Scouts can be thrown over walls or through windows of buildings to look for bombs, sending video to troops who remain a safe distance away.

Hidden bombs are the leading cause of casualties among U.S. troops on foot patrol on Afghanistan's primitive roads and mountainous terrain.

A service member "needs something more than we have given him in the past," Col. Peter Newell, director of the Army's Rapid Equipping Force, said.

Troops are also being equipped with small armored vehicles that can negotiate narrow trails while using metal detectors and ground-penetrating radar to search for hidden explosives.

Such high-tech solutions only work for a while, Newell acknowledged.

"Every solution has a half-life," he said. "If you're lucky, the insurgent will wait until you get it out there before he figures out a way to defeat it."