QinetiQ North America Unveils Route Clearance Robot to Detect Mines and IEDs

MCLEAN, Va. --- QinetiQ North America, a global developer of innovative technology solutions for national defense, today announced that its Technology Solutions Group subsidiary Foster-Miller is releasing its new TALON IV Engineer mine detecting, counter-IED robot for immediate use.>> Featuring a longer, stronger reach, stronger grasp, and the ability to right itself, the TALON IV Engineer is designed to detect and clear mines, unexploded ordnance and dangerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a safe distance. According to Dr. William Ribich, president of the Technology Solutions Group, the TALON IV Engineer is particularly well-suited to the terrain and conditions in Afghanistan: "TALON IV Engineer expands the capabilities of our warfighters to remotely clear routes, minefields or other hazardous areas and gives them the ability to see inside and around vehicles, guard rails and other barriers to help increase their overall safety.">> Detection and clearance of mines is of particular importance in Afghanistan, where efforts to deny enemy access to larger sections of territory are hampered by the large numbers of mines still littering the countryside. The United Nations and the U.S. Department of State report that an estimated 200,000 Afghans have been disabled by the explosive remnants of war (ERW).>> "Our government and our company are dedicated to the development of innovative solutions that better protect our warfighters," said Dr. Ribich. "Our TALON robots have already helped save thousands of explosive ordnance disposal and combat engineers from injury or possible death in the performance of their mission to clear mines and disarm IEDs, which can now be safely detected and dealt with from a distance.