Fearless warriors: bomb disposal teams deliver blunt talk on robots.

EVERY DAY IN IRAQ, EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL TEAMS crisscross the country in a mission to disarm hundreds of roadside bombs, booby traps and cars laden with explosives. It's difficult, hot and dangerous work. But it also saves lives. To help the teams with their mission, the Defense Department sped into theater three kinds of commercial-off-the shelf, lightweight robots designed to lessen their exposure to improvised explosive devices. Five EOD specialists who served in Iraq recently had a chance to address the robot manufacturers, and tell them in sometimes brutally honest terms, what they liked and didn't like about the systems, and describe the often deadly hazards they faced daily. "They most definitely saved peoples lives," Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Bryan Bymer said of the robots, at an Institute for Defense and Government Advancement conference. His team responded to 500 calls from April to October 2005 and rendered 328 IEDs safe. They used two of the robots, the Talon, manufactured by Foster-Miller Inc. of Waltham, Mass., and the PackBot. designed by iRobot Corp. of Burlington, Mass. Bymer described a hectic pace with four or five calls per day in areas surrounded by insurgents. Because of these circumstances, "time on target" is crucial, Bymer and the other specialists said. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Shallbetter raved about the Talon's ability to boot up as soon as his unit arrived on site. The PackBot takes a few minutes to become operational, and while it may only be 90 to 120 seconds, that seems like an eternity when every minute counts, he said.

The specialists described an enemy who is constantly observing their operations. Dummy bombs are placed along roads, presumably set there to collect intelligence on how they go about their business. "They're always trying to outsmart us, and we're always trying to outsmart them," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ronald Wilson.

Insurgents place rocks, chunks of concrete and garble near roadside bombs to create obstacles for the robots, in an effort to slow the ordnance teams down and make them stay on site longer. Speed, maneuverability and the ability to climb over curbs are vital for the robots, the specialists said.

Both the PackBot and Talon generally performed well in these areas. A third robot, the Vanguard, manufactured by Allen-Vanguard Inc. of Reston, Va., did not handle the Iraqi terrain well, those who used it in the field said. It worked fine on smooth surfaces, but as soon as it left a road or hit a gravelly surface, the tracks would often come off, said Army Specialist Jacob Chapman.

"We ended up trying to get rid of [the Vanguards] as soon as we could," Chapman said. The robots also had difficulty dealing with the complex radio frequency environment. "It usually wouldn't make it 10 feet past the truck," he added.

The Vanguards were eventually pulled out of Iraq.

Once the robots arrive on site, they have little time to render the area safe. "After we're out for about 30 minutes, we had to start planning on being attacked, or having an ambush waiting for us on the way back," Chapman said.

The specialists all said they would like to see better gripping on the robots' daws, as well as attachments for digging or raking the ground to look for hidden wires.

They would also like to see options for using bright, white or infrared lights for nighttime operations. Flashlights were taped on the Talons, while the PackBots had their own light source. However, the lights drew their power from the robot's battery, which made them drain quicker. The specialists all would like to see improvements to both systems' batteries, which they said bled down too quickly: Batteries are usually recharged in a humvee between calls.

Displays telling the operators how much power they have left, as well as something to indicate how strong the radio signal is, so they know if they're about to lose contact with the robot, are important needs, the specialists said. Losing contact means putting on the bulky, hot protective suits and approaching the bombsite to retrieve the unit.

Both robots had their pluses and minuses. Sometimes it's just a matter of taste, Shallbetter said. "I could give everybody the same car, and half the people will like it and the other half won't."

The Talon's interface was generally thought to be easier to learn for the operators, while the PackBot took several hours of training. However, the teams praised the PackBot's camera systems, especially the zoom lens. The PackBot also features an extendable arm, which is tall enough to peer into vehicles.

"I loved to use the PackBot for vehicle searches at night," said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Rafael Martinez, citing the clear picture and bright light it afforded.

Byron Brezina, robotics director of the naval explosive ordnance disposal technology division, said the next generation of joint service lightweight robots in the 100-pound range will address many of these concerns.

The division awarded competitive contracts to Foster-Miller and iRobot in 2002 to replace the commercial-off-the-shelf robots currently deployed. The new PackBot and Talon models were shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan beginning in December. This fiscal year the services will buy 275 units, and an additional 541 are pending funding approval for fiscal year 2006. The individual services decide whether they want PackBots, Talons, or combinations of both, and there is sharp debate inside each department over which system best suits their needs, Brezina said.

"If you've ever gotten into the Ford versus Chevy argument, that's pretty much what it goes like," Brezina said.

Estimates call for a total of 1,264 systems to be acquired through 2008. Future upgrades will include night vision and chemical and nuclear sensors, Brezina added.

Despite the constructive criticism, the specialists said the robots are lifesavers.

"I [am] very fortunate due to the current [robot] technology to be standing here today," Shallbetter told industry representatives. "If you can put yourself in our shoes and imagine what we're going through, we would really appreciate it."

Chapman added that "anything you can give us that keeps our time on target lower would be much to our advantage."

Tom Ryden, director of sales and marketing for iRobot's government and industrial robotics division, took copious notes during the panel and led the audience in a standing ovation for the specialists. "We're going to take a lot of that to heart and see what we can do to make improvements," he said.