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A
pet rat that can sniff out explosives could become standard gear for future
American soldiers. The Pentagon is conducting research into teaching rats to
detect mines and explosives, in hopes of saving lives and reducing military
expenditures.
Scientists
at the US Army Research Laboratory, supported by West Point Military Academy
and engineers at the Counter Explosive Hazards Center busy studying rat psychology,
reported army.mil, the US Army’s official website.
These
researchers are working with Barron Associates, Inc., a defense contractor that
has been won a bid to produce a cheap and reliable training program for rats
that can detect explosives in hostile environment.
The
Rugged Automated Training System’s (RATS) chief aims are low cost and ease of
production. The program, managed by the Life Sciences Division of the Army
Research Office, is expected to “solve an immediate Army need for safer and
lower-cost mine removal," said William Gressick, senior research engineer
at Barron.
Despite
being at least as intelligent and scent-savvy as bomb-sniffing dogs, rats are
also much more mobile, easier to transport and consume much less food. They can
also infiltrate hard-to-reach openings.
Animals
remain the most reliable explosives detection system, capable of identifying
bombs at much higher rates than mechanical systems. RATS could also be used for
non-military purposes. In the future, rats might be deployed by emergency teams
on search-and-rescue operations.
The
program “would also create new opportunities for using animals to detect
anything from mines to humans buried in earthquake rubble," said Micheline
Strand, chief of Army Research’s Life Sciences Division.
"Training
dogs is very expensive. If we can significantly reduce the cost of a trained
animal, then we could provide more animals to protect soldiers," Strand
said.
The
US is not the first country to consider using rodents to sniff out explosives.
Several media outlets reported last year that Israel was training mice to
detect bombs and drugs at airports. A report was released earlier this year
detailing how Colombian police are training lab rats to detect hidden
explosives.
Between
15,000 and 20,000 people die annually worldwide because of landmines, which
sometimes stay active for decades. Rats could become an indispensable tool for
clearing minefields, making them safe for civilian use.
(rt)
Pakistan Cyber Force
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