Law enforcement officers are using various semi-autonomous based technologies in order to perform tasks deemed unsafe for humans, or ones we are incapable of handling. Earlier this week, the Cleveland Police acquired a “non-lethal” robot to their team. However, saying that, these devices can also be equipped for killing.
Early last month in Dallas, the police strapped a bomb onto an explosive-detonation robot. BOOM! It went from non-lethal to lethal in minutes. Don’t worry, you’re not alone if it gives you the chills.
The Cleveland Police Department’s “Robocop” is known as the Griffin. The Griffin was built by the students attending the local community college. This robot stands a mere 12 inches tall, and has six wheels to help it roll over rugged terrain. This little Robocop is perfect for going behind questionable dumpsters to search for explosives or potentially dangerous situations.
Our second Robocop is based in India. This Robocop is a Riot-Control Drone. The riots in the Uttar Pradesh region have become so out of control, that the police department had to build their own drone. It was designed to hover over rioters and shower the individuals with pepper spray, as well as up to 20 paintballs per second. Manufactured by the South African firm, Desert Wolf, it can also simultaneously disperse tear gas pellets into the crowds below.
Dubbed the “Skunk,” this drone is also equipped with a HD camera and onboard microphone, so no identity is safe.
How bad does a prison have to get before they need a robot? Just ask South Korea! The correctional officers working at the Pohang prison in South Korea needed the aid of a robot to watch over their prisoners.
Standing at just 5 feet tall, the dubbed “Robo-Guard” is also equipped with 3D cameras, as well as behavior recognition software. According to the builders, the robot is able to recognize any abnormal behavior, such as a fight, or inmate on the ground. To remain safe, the prison guards can communicate to the prisoners through the robot using two-way radios.
Traveling over to Israel, the 26lbs Robocop stands only 11-inches tall, but packs a 9mm Glock. This little guy was designed and built by the Israeli firm, General Robotics Ltd, along with some assistance from the Israeli Police Counter Terrorism Unit.
Named the “Dogo,” this lethal Robocop is capable of firing up to 5 rounds in as little as 2 seconds. Not only that, it’s also sneaky and quiet, and can enter a house or climb stairs while maneuvering over obstacles silently. Along with the pistol, the Dogo can also carry pepper spray, or temporarily blind their victims with the use of a dazzling light module.
You know you live in a bad city when the city builds a car bomb bot. The Bat Cat — Bomb Assault Tactical Control Assessment Tool — belongs to the Los Angeles Police Department.
This monster radio-controlled robot is designed to pick up and carry a car bomb away from danger. The 50-foot telescoping arm attached to the remote-controlled robot can reach top speeds of 6 miles per hour.
While originally designed to carry car bombs to a safer location, the user of the robot can switch out the end of the arm with a claw, bucket, forklift, and even battering arms. This machine is capable of destroying an entire house in a matter of minutes, and can take a payload of 12,000 pounds. The design was built upon the chassis of the Caterpillar Telehandler. If you think about it, the builders simply pimped out a Caterpillar tractor and called it the “Bat Cat”.
In Japan, the Japanese police are making use of another type of flying drone in order to…catch flying drones. They are not shooting down other drones, or trying to hijack them. Instead, they simply catch the little flying robots using a net.
The Japanese introduced their net-welding drone fleet in the early months of 2016. This was aimed to warn those who are flying suspicious unmanned aircrafts over restricted government locations. The net attached to the flying drone is an outstanding 6 by 10-foot lattice. The police reportedly started working on this drone shortly after another drone carrying a non-lethal amount of radioactive sand was discovered on the roof of the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe’s house.
In Brazil, the local police prepared for the Olympics by acquiring a number of PackBot 510s. These little robots had been originally developed for the World Cup. The PackBot 510 is designed as a military grade bomb detection robot. It also performed reconnaissance after the Fukushima meltdown in Japan.
Each of these little bots weighs in at 65lbs and is heavily equipped with four different cameras. The main feature comes from a 6-foot telescoping arm in which can carry up to 30lbs. The primary role of this bot is to detect, disarm, or carry a bomb away from danger, and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 6 mph. As an added bonus, the robot can also make use of mechanical wire cutters that are attached to the end of its arm. Capable of climbing stairs and rolling through water, this little bot has the ability to keep the streets safe from small to medium bomb threats wherever it goes.
The Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa has recently installed a handful of special robots. These giant, solar panel powered robots were used as traffic cops back in 2013. This is their effort in reducing the amount of deaths and to scare their citizens into obeying the traffic laws. Complete with sunglasses, this giant humanoid robot stands at major intersections directing traffic with its arms. This special bot acts like an all-in-one traffic light, crosswalk, and even houses traffic cameras, which are installed all over its massive body.
Poland’s Tactical Bot has a purpose of being tossed into a building, room, or dropped off from a higher level, in order to scout the area. Complete with a camera and microphone, it also has various illumination options embedded into it. Weighing about 4lbs, a police officer can easily throw this little bot into the window of a second story building without any needs of propulsion. This tiny bot can also be easily equipped with stun grenades or explosives if dubbed fit, in which can be executed by the control panel used to drive the TRM around.
Apparently the demilitarized zone that separates the South from North Korea happens to be one of the most militarized places on the planet. This includes South Korea’s fleet of semi-autonomous killing machines that patrols the border, both day and night. Strangely enough, these robots are designed by Samsung. The SRG-A1 is armed with a 5.5mm machine gun and a grenade launcher, and with special detection hardware, this robot is capable of targeting its objective up to 2 miles away. This is done by sensitive heat and motion sensors, and low-light cameras help it to patrol of a night.
And finally, the Coast Guard in Lesvos, Greece, has recently started deploying a robot-like life preserver in order to assist in rescuing the Syrian refugees. This robot can make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea, helping the refugee boats that are unpowered, overloaded, and which rarely have enough life jackets onboard.
This robot, named Emily — Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard — comes from the researchers at Texas A&M University. Emily is a floating device that can zoom across the water at a speed of 20mph. This robot is equipped with a 2,000-foot rope that can be attached to the rescue ship. This robot makes fetching individuals that are not drowning, much faster, thus leaving the human rescue team more time to rescue victims requiring direct attention.
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