A new, cutting-edge technology is taking robot defense to the next level in the United Kingdom. During a live trial led by the Ministry of Defense, scientists defused a bomb using a robot dog. According to scientists, this breakthrough revolutionizes bomb disposal capabilities and reduces risk to the military.

Detecting, Defusing, and Disposing

The robot dog defusing a bomb during a trial; Photo: UK Ministry of Defence

In addition to defusing the bomb during the live trial, the robot dog successfully detected the threats before shutting them down. The trial supports key components of the UK Government’s Plan for Change: safeguarding national security while rapidly advancing new technologies—showing defense as an engine for growth.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) conducted several trials over the course of four days. In addition to the bomb-defusing robot dog, the trials included remote classification and identification of threats using sensors, using drones and AI to detect threats and robots, and using robots to complete tasks such as opening doors and climbing stairs.

Scientists say controlling the robot dog remotely takes a bomb disposal operator out of harm’s way and improves its reliability. Drones equipped with AI to detect threats increase the pace of operations and reduce public disruption.

Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle said, “This advanced technology demonstrates our commitment to protecting the military personnel who keep our nation safe at home and abroad.”

The robot dog that defuses bombs; Photo: UK Ministry of Defence

The trials involved a series of scenarios where the robot was asked to perform various tasks, including opening and closing doors autonomously, navigating stairs, inspecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and consequently firing disruptors at the IEDs to render them safe.

Bomb disposal operators praised the technology demonstrated in the trial and provided feedback to help the next phase of Dstl’s investment in robotics for the bomb disposal community. Dstl says they will use this feedback to continue developing and enhancing technology that provides increased security for the nation.

Andy Bell, Dstl’s Chief Science and Technology Officer, said, “This is a great example of how Defence can achieve an advantage through the exploitation of technology, fusing together military and commercial systems to keep our people and country safe from deadly threats.”