Removing 78 million cluster bombs one at a time by hand vs. using a remote-controlled machine to clear a field in hours...

When I was in Xieng Khouang Province in Lao, traveling around to see how MAG works, I had the chance to meet Ernst Woest.  Ernst is the guy at the left of this picture, and he's a technical expert on demining, originally from South Africa. I asked Ernst for his wish list -- what would be the very best things money could buy MAG that would make UXO clearance faster and easier?  Number one on the list is a Bozena 5, a remote-controlled tank-like machine that doesn't weigh so much it would collapse the bamboo bridges leading to so many of Lao's rice fields, but which is virtually indestructible and can clear land at various pre-set depths by flailing the ground, churning the bombs up, and absorbing the explosions.  The video below shows how the Bozena works. It's really awesome, but unfortunately one would cost about $500,000.  That's a lot of coffee beans!  But we'll get there...

---