Remote OED Done By Robots

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams across all US military services will use the FLIR Centaur unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to assist in disarming improvised explosive devices, unexploded ordnance, and similar hazardous tasks. Centaur is a medium-sized UGV that provides a standoff capability to detect, confirm, identify, and dispose of hazards.

Weighing roughly 160 pounds, the open-architecture robot features an advanced EO/IR camera suite, a manipulator arm that reaches over six feet, and the ability to climb stairs. Modular payloads can be used for CBRNE detection and other missions. Operators can quickly attach different sensors and payloads to the robot to address other missions.

The  US Army, Air Force, and Navy have collectively ordered more than 250 additional UGVs, worth $32 million combined from FLIR Systems. In 2017, the US Army selected the medium-sized Centaur robot as its MTRS Inc II solution. Since then, other U.S. military branches have opted to deploy the Centaur to their EOD teams as a new or replacement ground robot system.