What most of us don’t know is the humble beginning of what is now a necessary piece of equipment for any bomb squad.

40 years ago, in 1972, the British Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians were facing the latest threat in an ever changing conflict in Northern Ireland.  The weapons being used against them had progressed, first from fire bombs, on to small explosive devices, and later to cars containing ever larger amounts of explosive. A series of deaths of EOD techs provided extra incentive to come up with new methods of countering the threat.

Enter Peter Miller.

In 1972, Miller was a retired Lieutenant Colonel working as a civilian for the British army.  The first part of Miller`s inspiration would come from an unusual creation he had come up with, a tethered lawn mower. Miller`s invention was a self-propelled  lawn mower tied to a pole. As the mower moved forward and the attached rope wound itself around the pole, the mower would be drawn in ever tighter until it had cut a complete circle. From this Miller envisioned a device that an operator could control, from a distance, while directing it towards a target.

The second part of the inspiration would come when Miller entered a store to look for suitable lawnmowers. A salesman pointed out a powered wheelbarrow used in construction and landscaping. The wheelbarrow`s electric motor would allow it to be propelled while the hand controls allowed the operator to control the operation.

What if, Miller wondered, both the lawn mower and the wheelbarrow could be combined to help the EOD units? And so came the start of the Wheelbarrow Mark 1.

Wheelbarrow Mark 1  photo from raoc.websitetoolbox.com

The purpose of the first bomb robot, the Mark 1 was to deliver a hook to a suspect vehicle containing explosives. The chassis of the robot would be based on the powered wheelbarrow and control of the device would be possible by four ropes, two controlling the side to side movement, one to control the forward motion, and the final rope would enable the use of a large hook.  The vision for the Mark 1 was that an operator would, from a distance, steer the unit towards a suspect vehicle and attach the hook. The vehicle could then be towed to a better location or out of range of any nearby remote devices. The cost of the first unit then was about $500.

The Mark 1 would quickly develop into the Mark 2 and then Mark 3. Improvements would include the adaptation of a remote-controlled arm. The arm would be used to break windows and deliver a counter charge known as a “candle” The candle was a tube containing 108 ounces of aluminum based explosive that could be used to conduct controlled explosions of suspected vehicles and cars. Later improvements would bring tracks for climbing and other advancements.

Wheelbarrow Mark 2  photo from raoc.websitetoolbox.com

Wheelbarrow Mark 3  photo from raoc.websitetoolbox.com

Peter Miller`s robot inspiration would, over time, evolve into the machines we know today. Although it was estimated that hundreds of lives were saved and millions of dollars would be spent on robot programs Miller would see none of it. The British army stated that his work on developing the Mark 1 was just part of his job.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One week after homemade explosives were found near the state capital in Kansas, the FBI and area police offered a demonstration. Experts wanted to show the public how they dismantle a bomb.

The demonstration was held in the parking lot of Kemper Arena. Bomb experts say it may be a matter of time before the attacks we hear about in Iraq and Afghanistan come to the United States. The bomb squad responded to a situation in Independence in January where a pipe bomb was found near a drive-in movie theater.

In Wednesday’s demonstration, the device is simply a cardboard box. The robot was operated by a detective with a remote and camera and a panel of buttons in a police truck a safe distance away.

“We’re never near the device if it blows up, it blows up a robot and not us,” said Lex Wallace with KCPD.

Robots can’t always access a device. Sometimes a bomb technician has to gear up.

“You now your heart rate goes up and when you put on all this,” said Mark Vargo with OPPD.

Mark Vargo is with Overland Park Police. His 90 pound outfit includes Kevlar. It’s like a bullet proof vest and nomex which is a fire retardant chemical.

Technicians can still gather the bomb’s remains as important evidence once it blows up.

“We want to be able to try and piece it back together in case it’s something we go to court on,” Vargo said.

Authorities worry about people trying to come up with bombs that they’ve read about online.

“We have concerns that things that people might see on the internet in other places they would attempt to do here,” said Jon Tucker with the FBI.

The FBI says bomb squads respond to about 12 to 15 incidents a month across Kansas and western Missouri. Most are hoaxes but about two to five cases a month turn out to be explosive devices.