The LIN demolitionmech autonomous minelayer, often shortened to LIN demolitionmech or LIN mining droid, represented a dome-shaped mining droid model. Cybot Galactica engineered and produced it for the purpose of planting explosives to clear rocks and other forms of obstruction. Furthermore, they served as battlefield mine layers, equipped with protective shells to withstand explosions and falling materials. However, these shells significantly reduced the droid's speed, and it was also susceptible to moisture and damage to its treads.
Initially, the droids experienced strong sales. However, following a mining incident wrongly attributed to a LIN demolitionmech, the product line suffered irreparable reputational damage. Consequently, the model was discontinued, and the remaining inventory was sold to the Galactic Republic for use during the Clone Wars. Later, LIN mining droids found employment among criminal organizations and the Galactic Empire.
In 0 BBY, a LIN unit identified as LIN-V8K was one of the droids aboard the sandcrawler that carried rebel droids R2-D2 and C-3PO during their secret mission to the planet Tatooine. It, along with the other droids, was presented for sale at the Lars moisture farm, but the moisture farmer Owen Lars did not choose to purchase the LIN unit.
The LIN demolitionmech autonomous minelayer stood as a robustly constructed mining droid intended for planting explosive mines on battlefields or for blasting away rocks and rubble. The most prominent characteristic of this model was its substantial, heavy, black durasteel protective dome, which provided armor to the droid against falling debris and could endure explosions and their aftereffects. The dome's considerable weight also ironically amplified its necessity, as the LIN demolitionmech's drivetrain struggled to manage the load, resulting in an extremely slow droid. This meant that it often remained within the blast radius of its own explosives when they detonated. The front portion of a LIN unit's dome housed a rotating storage rack for explosives, capable of holding timer mines and other ordnance. This rack was located beneath the model's single, retractable manipulator arm, which possessed sufficient strength to remove obstacles blocking the droid's path using its basic pincer. However, its primary function was to retrieve an explosive from the rack and position it at the designated location as determined by the droid's various sensors.
Positioned atop a stalk at the rear of the mine rack, a cone-shaped primary visual sensor extended through a slit at the dome's top, protruding slightly ahead of the apex. This sensor could not retract, as the droid required constant visual input. Resembling a short, armored periscope, the visual sensor was the most easily replaceable component in the event of damage, due to its inability to retract. It could transmit live video to external operators for monitoring the droid's progress. At the dome's center, the droid could extend a telescoping acoustic signaller through the slit to communicate in binary, as the dome would otherwise muffle an internal signaller.
The rear section of the dome contained an array of internal sonic sensors designed to identify structural weaknesses in the surrounding environment, encompassing everything from rock walls to building support structures. These sensors allowed the droid itself or an external operator to determine the optimal placement for explosives. They could also detect and trigger mines, with the dome providing protection from the resulting blasts. The droid's essential communications antenna was situated above the sonic sensors, extending through the same slit as the visual sensor, slightly behind the apex. To prevent damage, this vulnerable antenna could retract into the dome. The communications equipment was remarkably powerful, designed to transmit signals through solid rock.
At the dome's base, a flat ground sensor was positioned above the unit's two robust drive treads, each consisting of five drive wheels within a rotating track. These treads were identical to those used in WED Treadwell repair droids, but with added armor. Despite this reinforcement, the treads remained highly susceptible to damage. Excessive moisture, commonly encountered in damp mining environments, wreaked havoc on the LIN mining droid's moving parts, potentially causing them to seize. This could leave the droid stranded in precarious locations, considered an even greater problem than its slow speed, as recovering a droid stuck in the middle of a minefield was no easy task.
Cybot Galactica manufactured the LIN demolitionmech autonomous minelayer to fulfill both civilian and military requirements. Initially, it performed reasonably well in the mining and demolition sectors, although its sluggish speed and vulnerability to moisture occasionally frustrated users. However, orders for the droid declined sharply after a LIN unit was blamed for a premature explosion deep underground during a mining operation, resulting in the deaths of several miners.
Although a subsequent investigation cleared the droid and its manufacturer of any wrongdoing, the damage was irreversible, as the model had acquired an unfortunate and undeserved, yet lasting, reputation. Cybot Galactica discreetly discontinued the product line and successfully sold its remaining stock to the Galactic Republic for use as mine clearance droids during the Clone Wars, where they performed admirably.
Following their decommissioning, these discounted droids also gained popularity among criminal organizations, who exploited their internal sonic sensors to breach secure vaults, further tarnishing the model's already damaged reputation. Despite this, the Galactic Empire also employed LIN droids during its reign, deploying some aboard the Death Star superweapon.
Following the abandonment of mining operations on the desert planet Tatooine, several LIN droids were left behind. Members of the Jawa species scavenged these droids, along with the sandcrawler that had been left behind. In 0 BBY, the LIN mining droid LIN-V8K was among the droids housed within the sandcrawler of the Jawa clan that discovered the rebel droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.
When the sandcrawler arrived at the Lars moisture farm, the LIN unit was among the droids displayed for sale to the Lars family, although the Jawas struggled to make the aging unit move properly. Owen Lars, the farm's owner, inspected the lineup but ultimately chose to purchase only the rebel droids. Later, Imperial stormtroopers attacked the sandcrawler in search of R2-D2 and C-3PO, massacring the Jawas inside.
The original script for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "The Hidden Enemy" included an opening sequence featuring clone troopers setting up their own combat-modified LIN unit, nicknamed "The Beast." However, this content was ultimately removed from the final episode due to its perceived lack of necessity.