Costa Concordia Gets Search Help From Robotics

Italian authorities have confirmed that they will be using robotic equipment for the kind of tasks that it does best – maneuvering through areas that humans can't successfully navigate. And there are, as you might expect, a number of those areas on the capsized cruise liner the Costa Concordia. The mission will be to track down the seven bodies that are still believed to be on the ship.

Of course, we have all seen the pictures of the incredible damage that was the Concordia tragedy. 25 bodies have been recovered and pronounced dead, making it the deadliest cruise ship incident in recent memory. Even with all the modern equipment and intense security precautions that exist today, it's possible for something like this to go so wrong.

Police in Italy described the technology they'll be using as "sophisticated robot-like equipment." Despite the fact that rescue divers have been scouring every nook and cranny possible for weeks, there are still some areas that remain dangerous or inaccessible. Among the hazards are floating debris, rooms with no air, and doors that are sealed shut.

[via Washington Post]