Pentagon to recruit bomb-sniffing rats

Published: 01 August, 2012, 18:23

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.

FULL STORY: http://rt.com/usa/news/rat-de-miner-us-army-588/