Israel Develops Military Robot

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel has developed a robot to patrol borders and the perimeter of military and strategic facilities.
Two researchers from Bar-Ilan University have developed a robot the size of a vacuum cleaner and equipped with sensors. The researchers, financed by the Israeli Defense Ministry, said the robot's sensors could respond to sound.
"The integration of robots in the military has been worked on for years, and we see only small pilotless planes that don't have to deal with difficult terrain," Gal Kaminka, a member of Bar-Ilan's computer sciences department. "Now these robots are an important step in integrating land robots that will save manpower in the military."
[On Wednesday, the Defense Ministry was scheduled to conduct a test of the entire Iron Dome anti-rocket system. The ministry has ordered accelerated development of the system and pledged prime contractor, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a bonus for completing an operational prototype in 2010.]