Bombs

Bomb disposal robots are good in dangerous situations on land, but what if a would-be bomber hides their explosives under a bridge or a ship? In the future the US Navy might send in a submarine drone endowed with a pair of inflatable robot arms that are currently being developed by RE2 Robotics.

Looking to tackle the early signs of traumatic brain injury, the US Navy is developing small sensors that, when paired with specialized scanner, can quickly convert blast pressure into a clear signal of whether of not that soldier should stand down.​​

In 2010, after spending billions on research, Pentagon officials admitted that there was no better bomb detector than a dog's nose. Now scientists say the reason for this might lie simply in the way they sniff.

Electric power is used to run everything from boats to rollerblades, along with cars and motorbikes, but Torq's latest battery-powered vehicle could be the most useful of them all. The LETV has room for a fully-suited bomb-disposal expert, along with all the equipment needed to get the job done.

Suicide bombers are a tactic that is effectively deployed all too often. One entrepreneur is looking to help reveal such threats with a detector that scans subjects for shrapnel commonly used in suicide vests and explosives.

Scientists have developed a fluorescent material they claim can more reliably detect explosives in the vicinity, by being a bit more selective about when it changes color.

If you hunt unexploded sea mines for a living, then you might not mind losing your job to a robot. That seems to be the reasoning of the British and French governments as they embark on a joint venture to develop a prototype autonomous system for detecting and neutralizing sea mines.

Boeing and the RAAF have carried out tests of the Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM-ER), which showed a three-times increase in range while maintaining accuracy. The add-on guidance kit for bombs was put through its paces at Australia's Woomera Test Range.

For a plane that's now being flown by the original crews' grandchildren, the B-52 is still going strong. For its latest upgrade, Boeing has installed a new weapons bay launcher that will allow the venerable bomber to carry smart weapons inside and reduce fuel consumption.

When people make improvised explosive devices, many of the waste products end up simply going down the drain. With that in mind, the European Union-funded EMPHASIS consortium is now developing technology to track those chemicals within the waste stream, so that their point of origin can be located.

Scientists have copied the sonar system used by dolphins to locate prey, to create a type of radar that could differentiate between ordinary objects and things like explosive devices.

A new glowing polymer can be used to detect even trace amounts of explosives.