Bomb squads participate in Robot Rodeo

Bomb squad teams are participating in the 13th annual Robot Rodeo and Capability Exercise at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico starting today.

During the five-day event, 10 military and civilian teams will compete in 12 challenges to test emergency preparedness skills and train.

“Security and explosives experts get to test and see what works and what doesn’t so that if they ever have an incident, they are better prepared,” Jake Deuel, Sandia robotics manager, said.

Several government agencies are participating in this year’s challenge.

The Transportation Security Administration in Albuquerque helped plan and run a scenario involving robots maneuvering through an aircraft.

The Albuquerque International Sunport donated a cargo jet for the scenario.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology created a maneuverability and robot manipulation challenge where robots must climb and descend stairs, inspect corridors, and open and close doors.

The Albuquerque Transit Department donated a city bus for a challenge where robots must X-ray purses and bags left on the vehicle.

Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility and Kirtland Air Force Base are conducting a challenge where robots must remove fake explosives from a tunnel. Mannequins will represent terrorists.

Other organizations that pitched in include the U.S. Army with a donation of a two-arm robot and several commercial companies that support the bomb-squad community.