Ministry scheme for urban robots

The Ministry of Defence is testing robots that can identify military threats in urban areas.

The robots are competing in a two-week competition at the Copehill Down training facility on Salisbury Plain.

Dr Toby Breckon said: "It is crucial that more effective ways of identifying dangerous urban environments are developed to aid troops."

Dr Breckon of Cranfield University in Bedfordshire is in charge of one of the 10 competing teams.

He added: "I hope that by fusing knowledge and technologies from both academia and business we will not only win, but provide innovative solutions to real-life challenges."

The winning entry will be awarded the R J Mitchell Trophy in recognition of the designer of the WWII spitfire fighter plane.