A dozen or so determined kids face off against a bomb disposal robot. Photo by Jody Moon
We belong to our neighborhood pool association, not just because it’s a great way for the kids to cool off and get some exercise during the summer (without having to maintain or pay for a pool myself), but also because of the cool activities the organization sponsors. Case in point, last week the kids were treated to a full emergency response display in the park surrounding the pool grounds.
This wasn’t just the police department sending their ‘outreach’ police-painted Beetle (although it was on display). There was also a firetruck, cruisers, a police K-9 team, complete with a live demo of what happens when your try to outrun a police dog –here’s a hint, reach for the sky and don’t think for a second you can outrun a highly trained German Shepherd — and they even sent the bomb disposal robot. Technically speaking, I think these things are classified as ROVs since they aren’t exactly autonomous. But it’s more fun to think of it as a robot (unless, of course, you recently read Robopocalypse, in which case maybe it’s comforting to know there’s a person with a remote control doing the thinking). The highlight for my kids was the series of tug-of-war exercises, pitting a team of children against the robot. Turns out the robot may have game when it comes to explosives, but a dozen determined kids are sufficient to make it roll over.
Young Humans 2, Bomb Disposal Robot 0. Photo by Jody Moon
