North Rhine-Westphalia State Office of Criminal Investigation

Unattended bags are often cause for much concern, with railways and airports on high alert for abandoned luggage. This luggage proves a significant problem for the emergency services, who have to assume that they may contain explosive materials. Now, a remote-controlled robot is set to scan abandoned baggage in order to make this job easier.

Designed and built by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, the robot uses a millimetre wave scanner to create a 3D image of the interior of a package.


The system uses a millimetre wave scanner, a high-resolution digital camera and a 3D environment monitoring system in order to gather a full picture of the potential threat. Swivelling sensors create a 3D survey of a crime scene, with an accompanying digital camera capturing high-res images to be used for evidence. The wave sensor then scans the source of the danger to create an image of the interior.

A built-in computer collects this data and automatically sends it to investigators.

It's claimed the system is far quicker than current methods; at present, bomb squads have to place suspicious packages inside a mobile x-ray station.

Engineers hope that the robot will be used to aid the emergency services, helping them assess a threat, avert potential danger and preserve evidence.

A fully working model of the robot will be unveiled later this year, with extensive field tests taking place throughout 2017 for a 2019 launch.