![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/rccar.jpg\")
Front-line
\n soldiers in Iraq have been using Radio Shack remote control cars to prod
\n suspected
\n Improvised Explosive Devices. If they explode, they’re bombs. If
\n they move, they are too light to be bombs and are safe. If they
\n are heavy, they merit more careful examination. The military has $50,000
\n Darpa-developed robots to do the same thing, but
\n they are
\n deployed
\n and
\n operated by a
\n limited number of specially trained bomb disposal teams. The robots are reportedly
\n big, slow, and clumsy, and an actual patrol finding one of these explosive devices
\n (a depressingly familiar happening
\n these
\n days, and the most common cause of American casualties) often
\n needs to wait many hours for the robot team to arrive, if there is even
\n one in the area.<\/p>\n
Depending on one’s point of view, the fact that our courageous front
\n line military personnel, many barely removed from finding these $50 toys
\n under
\n their
\n Christmas
\n trees,
\n are
\n using them to defend their lives, is either a testimony to American ingenuity
\n and cheap Chinese technology, or to military waste the woeful lack of
\n preparation and equipment for our troops on the ground. Or both.<\/p>\n
\nA young private [named "E.S."]
\n in that platoon has one of those radio-controlled toy cars. When they
\n find unidentifiable debris
\n in the road, E.S. sends out his little RC car and rams it. If it’s
\n light enough to be moved or knocked over, it’s too light to be a bomb,
\n so we
\n can approach it and get rid of it. If it’s heavy, we call EOD [explosive
\n ordnance disposal — the military’s bomb squad]. At night, they duct
\n tape a flashlight to the car.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nfrom Defense
\n Tech<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Front-line soldiers in Iraq have been using Radio Shack remote control cars to prod suspected Improvised Explosive Devices. If they explode, they’re bombs. If they move, they are too light to be bombs and are safe. If they are heavy, they merit … Continue reading