Re: Japanese De-mining Robot

> While it is a nice idea, the question is do the people that need it
the
> most have the ability to pay for.

A common problem with high.tech ideas designed to help the third world
.
Especially in place where it's cheaper to hire human "mine-clearers",
who
are willing to do the job after a few hours training :-(

<A more interesting idea was proposed
> by Mark Tilden, a researcher in simple robotics.  He suggested really
> simple tethered robots that wandered about the fields and trails that
> blindly flailing the ground with a wooden knob on the end of bamboo
> pole.  When the inevitable occurs, the operater drags the robot back,
> and fixes it with local materials.  In the possible occurrence of the
> robot being totally destroyed, it was intended to be a mere $10-20
(Can)
> to replace.  The ten million yen would by several thousand of these
> simple bots, so the fact that they do not clear areas quickly (being
> solar powered) is mitigated by the ability to exploit the tyranny of
> numbers.

Probably a better idea. And I don't know how much "robotics" would
actually
be involved. You would hardly need much more than a sturdy model car for
the
job. But solar powered ? I guess a small petrol engine might be more
appropiate.

Greetings
Karl Heinz