SRI unveils Taurus, DaVinci’s bomb-defusing little brother

This is SRI International’s Taurus. Dropped at you by the minds behind the DaVinci robo-surgeon, the diminutive (14 x 5-inch) bad boy is used to detect and defuse IEDs. Piggy-backing on existing devices together with Talon or PackBot , the device delivers hi-def 3D images and haptic feedback (via gloves) to a bomb disposal tech operating from a secure distance. In accordance with IEEE Spectrum, it really works so well that users forget they’re working remotely. At this time it’s a prototype, but hopefully the system may be within the field as early as this summer.