Canada

Could lasers be the answer to roadside bombs?

That's what the Canadian Forces wants to know.

The military is looking at mounting high-powered lasers on armoured vehicles to protect soldiers from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

The Canadian Forces would put lasers on its fleet of Cougar armoured vehicles to blast apart bombs from a safe distance.

Improvised explosive devices proved a deadly threat when Canadian troops were stationed in southern Afghanistan.

Dozens of soldiers died in IED blasts during the combat mission, which ended in 2011.