Although bomb squads in Thailand have some imported robots, they are so expensive - Bt26 million - that they are rarely used.

Now a team from Kasetsart University's engineering department is developing a robot with similar features to the imported ones - but at the much lower price of Bt200,000.

The traditional method of bomb disposal in Thailand - placing used tyres on the bomb and firing a high-pressure water gun - carries a high risk of damage.

The situation in the restive South, where explosions happen almost every day, inspired Kasetsart associated engineering professor Nuttaka Homsup to find a safer way to defuse bombs.

Some 2,000 people have died in the region since violence erupted in 2004, including some bomb experts who were killed during operations.

Funded by the National Research Council of Thailand, the prototype robot is at the second phase, which aims to develop its intelligence. It has an embedded computer and is controlled by a secure wireless-communication device. The robot can be controlled within a visible range of 200 metres. "We could control it in a remote range as far as one kilometre, but I am worried that militants could take it away before it reached the bomb," Nuttaka joked.

The robot can move as fast as 16 kilometres per hour and can carry objects weighing up to 80 kilograms. A three-dimensional monitoring system allows controllers to see all dimensions of the suspected bomb.

The robot could be equipped with arms and a high-pressure water gun.

Chiang Mai-based Lanna Polytechnic College has also developed its own bomb-disposal robot, dubbed "Scorpion".

However, the Kasetsart researchers are confident they can develop their robot's operational system to make it more intelligent. The project should be completed by October.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation