Teledyne system of bomb disposal gets SAFETY net

Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc. was given the green light Friday to produce a machine that can help bomb disposal crews eliminate explosive devices.

Teledyne Brown received liability protection from the Department of Homeland Security for the WaterSabre system. Teledyne Brown's product was among the first to be approved under the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002, or SAFETY act, which provides limited liability risks for manufacturers of anti-terrorism technologies.

"This puts us on the map with regard to Homeland Security," said Mike Scherer, Teledyne vice president for business development in Huntsville. "We are known, obviously, by the Missile Defense Agency, NASA and the Defense Department, but with this approval we will become known by the Department of Homeland Security."

Scherer said the act gives Teledyne protection from lawsuits. "If we don't have legal protection, then it becomes easy for anybody to name an entity as a defendant who might be involved in the process of" protection against a terrorist attack.

WaterSabre is a high-pressure water cutting system, which is mounted on a remote controlled robot and can be operated from a safe distance. The abrasive-containing water cuts through containers without generating excessive heat or force.

WaterSabre can be used to provide entry to investigate suspected explosive or hazardous devices or gain access for life-saving measures. The system can be mounted on an emergency response vehicle, which can be operational within 10 minutes, according to the company.

Scherer said six Teledyne Brown engineers developed WaterSabre, and, when production begins, about 20 people will be directly involved on the production line.

The Department of Homeland Security passed the SAFETY Act in response to a number of lawsuits against airports, airplane manufacturers, security companies and government entities such as the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey following the terrorism acts of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a Teledyne release. SAFETY Act coverage allows for the use of qualified anti-terror technologies with significant limitations on potential liability to manufacturers or purchasers of the technologies.