NEWS FROM BOSNIA AND KOSOVO

M60 Tanks Equipped with Omnitech's STS Deployed in Kosovo

Kosovo -- August, 1999:   US Army deploys M60 Panther tanks equipped with Omnitech Robotics International LLC's (ORILLC's) robotic controls to help clear mines after the recent conflict with Serbia.

McGovern Base, Bosnia -- May, 1997:  An estimated six million land mines employed in Bosnia expose military troops and civilians to high risk. US troops clear land areas using tanks equipped with robotic controls provided by ORILLC of Englewood, Colorado.

ORILLC installed Standardized Teleoperation System (STS) kits on seven M60 Panther tanks in Bosnia. The STS kit keeps the driver in a safe area while the unmanned tank locates and neutralizes landmines. US troops are thrilled with Omnitech Robotics STS kits and there are now 71 fewer opportunities for a casualty. McGovern Base is located near the Zone of Separation at the north perimeter of the US occupied sector of Bosnia.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina -- McGovern Base, May 15, 1997: From the Unmanned Ground Vehicles/Systems Joint Project Office, US Army Col. Jeff C. Kotora reports detonation of 71 antipersonnel land mines in just two days (May 13-14, 1997) using an unmanned M60 tank. The tank is equipped with ORILLC's STS kit. The STS kit is a strap-on set of robotic controls that converts any vehicle to teleoperated control. STS permits using unmanned vehicles in high risk areas without risk to the driver, who has full control of the vehicle and its payloads. The STS Operator Control Unit emulates the vehicle controls and instruments with audio and video feedback from the vehicle.

Omnitech Robotics has installed nearly 60 STS kits on vehicles such as M60 Panther and M1 Panther II tanks, tractors, High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (Humvees), All-Terrain Vehicles, and a heavy-duty construction forklift.