One of the Baton Rouge Police Department bomb squad’s most skilled specialists can move and open suspicious packages, talk and listen.
The catch: It’s not human.
Students who witnessed the bomb scare Oct. 24 in the Quad were surprised when a robot made its first on-campus appearance to handle the situation.
But the bomb robot has been an important part of the BRPD’s bomb squad for years, according to Lt. Chris Rushing, BRPD bomb technician.
Rushing said the robot has successfully taken the place of officers in many life-threatening situations.
BRPD has been using the bomb robot for about five years, and despite a few glitches, Rushing said using the robot has been overall successful.
“We’re able to send the robot into the danger zone,” he said. “It takes the place of a