THE little black machine trudges noisily along the dusty gravel in a search-and-destroy mission.

When it finds its target, the remote-controlled tank releases a deadly substance.

Target 'taken out'. And with that, another mosquito-breeding spot is cleared.

This robotic tank machine - the work of a group of Singapore Polytechnic students working with the National Environment Agency - can dispense BTI (Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis) insecticide into hard-to-reach mosquito-breeding places.

The 'dengue-fighting' tank, which weighs about 3kg to 4kg, works like a radio-controlled car. It zips along at speeds of up to 20kmh to 30kmh, deftly making sharp left and right turns.

Like a real warfighting juggernaut, this mini-tank - about as big as an A4-size paper and about 20cm to 25cm high - easily trampled over low obstacles in its path in a test conducted by its creators recently.

A camera mounted on top sends video images of the tank's route to a screen console elsewhere manned by a human controller.

Once the tank locates areas of water ponding where the dengue-transmitting Aedes mosquito is likely to lay its eggs, it can release BTI insecticide into the area, activated by the touch of a button from the controller.

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