A Washington Post story describes several robot projects being developed to detect roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq. Some of the robots are little more than modified, armor-plated radio-controlled toys. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory had gotten onboard the robots from toys program as well, converting radio controlled vehicles to tether operation to avoid radio interference. Others projects include multimillion dollar robots being developed by companies like Lockheed Martin. The article also covers more exotic technologies such as a General Dynamics laser system that sweeps the road, burning away debris that hides bombs.