Robots taught to dispose of obsolete ammunition. They have already dismantled 700 thousand shells

Disposal of obsolete or unexploded ordnance has been a serious problem since the invention of

gunpowderUntil recently, shells were exploded, burned or buried at a firing range, and they also tried to dump them into the sea. None of these methods were ideal - each of them presented potential dangers to humans or the environment.

In order to simplify and secure the processthe disposal of ammunition, scientists from the funded US Department of Defense SNL project developed a robotic system capable of dismantling shells and cartridges. The robots are controlled by a human operator, but the devices can detect damage on ammunition using computer vision and warn the operator of the danger.

Authors-developers note that in the systemCommercial robot manipulators optimized for specific tasks were used. In addition to the dismantling of ammunition, robots are able to sort different types of metal into categories, noted in the SNL.

Previously, engineers from the Far Eastern FederalUniversity (FEFU) have developed a system for intelligent control of robots and industrial manipulators, which will allow the devices to understand their dimensions and increase the accuracy of their movements.