UK tests robot for chemical reconnaissance
The fully autonomous Merlin UGV was developed to detect and report chemical agents over large areas in order to protect ground troops and help them to deal with hazardous scenarios. It was successfully tested by the UK MoD.
The UK MoD is keen to extend the capabilities of ground robotic technologies for CBRN missions, as it explores use cases for the best way to protect ground troops in hazardous operating environments.
To that end, the MoD has been working with HORIBA MIRA to develop fully autonomous technology to detect and report chemical agents over large areas.
This technology, embodied in the Merlin Robot, was successfully tested at RAF Honington.
On 14 January, the MoD Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) released pictures and video footage of the trial, which involved the Merlin prototype and specialist counter-CBRN operators from
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