Lonnie Freiburger Jr. maneuvered his 4-inch tall, vehicle-inspecting robot within feet of army memorabilia 200 years old on Sunday afternoon, peering with its camera at veterans and others standing at Michigan Historical Museum.
The Omni Directional Inspection System, or ODIS, robot uses both audio and visual components to search for explosives under vehicles at roadside checkpoints in Iraq and Afghanistan. Freiburger, a computer engineer with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, said the $18,000 robot replaces the standard mirror-and-stick technique used overseas to check vehicles.
The robot was relieved from those duties on Sunday for the opening of "A Soldier's Life" exhibit at the Michigan Historical Museum.
Coinciding with the museum collection's inauguration was the Veterans Recognition Program, an annual event preceding Veterans Day.
The inaugeration ceremony included a keynote address by Gus Ganakas, former MSU men's basketball coach and 1st Marine Division's artillery support in World War II. Veterans Day is Friday.
"A Soldier's Life" traces more than 200 years of Michigan military history, including what Michigan soldiers used to combat the natural elements— from a collection of boots spanning 200 years to a modern fleece undergarment juxtaposed with pre-1900 jackets. The footgear ranged from 1810 boots made from the rough side of hide and leather laces to modern boots with nylon and cool synthetic lining.
When the first American troops arrived in Michigan in 1796 they confronted a reality that nowadays is solved with gas heating and plenty of layers.
"With us, climate's not usually a matter of life and death," said Eric Perkins, collections historian at the Michigan Historical Museum. "When troops traveled up to Fort Mackinac, the Great Lakes were harsh on them.
"The exhibit is meant to give folks a window into the everyday lives of soldiers."
Jim Pocock, a Vietnam War veteran and Army reservist until 1994, watched the ODIS robot and said there are parallels between the Iraq war and Vietnam.
Vietnam's snipers are now replaced in Iraq by a hidden enemy, he said.
In both American wars, Pocock said the U.S. Army has the upper hand in technology.
"This is much more sophisticated than Vietnam, obviously," Pocock said.
"In both places, we have the army's technology over the enemy."
Ganakas retraced his time serving in World War II and during the Battle of Okinawa in Japan, which eventually led to President Harry Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb.
He said more than 150,000 noncombatant deaths occurred in Okinawa.
"Back then you didn't think about college or getting an athletic scholarship ? I survived that because I was in artillery, not infantry. Nothing was like what front-line infantry faced."
