Bobcat Based EOD Robot Sees First Action in Gaza

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Autonomous Solutions, Inc., (ASI), a designer and manufacturer of unmanned vehicle systems, software, and components for industrial and military clients, today announced that their Scorpion Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) robotic platform was recently used by the Israeli Police in its first combat mission. ASI supplied six Scorpions to the Israeli Police last year.

The Israeli police recently employed its newly acquired Scorpion EOD robots in a combat mission. According to the manufacturer, Utah based Autonomous Solutions, Inc., (ASI), the Scorpion was employed in a recent mission in Gaza, where it was used to remove a large steel cage where a canister of C4 explosives was hidden under an innocent looking load of agricultural goods. The canister was detected during a routine port security x-ray scan. The Scorpion’s gripper attached to the unit’s excavator arm was used to cut open the targeted cage bars, constructed of tube steel, allowing a smaller robotic arm to remove the C4 canister and safely dispose of it. Scorpion is a Bobcat mini-excavator converted for remote-control operations and outfitted with ASI’s robotic command and control system. The Israeli Police have been training with the ASI’s systems since June 2006 and recently deployed them for active duty. The Scorpion’s size, strength, and its ability to cut through steel introduces new capabilities which are changing the way the Israeli Police plan and execute their explosive ordnance disposal operations.