Sniffing robots latest weapon against roadside bombs

The US military—increasing its reliance on robots in war—soon will use explosive-sniffing versions to better detect roadside bombs accounting for more than 70 percent of the U.S. casualties in Iraq.

Fido is the first robot with an explosives sensor integrated into its body. iRobot Corp. is filling the military's first order of 100 in this southwest Ohio city and will begin shipping the robots over the next few months.

There are nearly 5,000 robots in Iraq and Afghanistan, up from about 150 in 2004. Soldiers use them to search caves and buildings for insurgents, detect mines and ferret out roadside and car bombs.

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