Nxtbot.com » Robotic security http://nxtbot.com/blog Covering the world of consumer and personal robotics Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:03:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Samsung Unveils Armed Sentry Bot http://nxtbot.com/blog/2006/11/14/samsung-unveils-armed-sentry-bot/ http://nxtbot.com/blog/2006/11/14/samsung-unveils-armed-sentry-bot/#comments Tue, 14 Nov 2006 14:40:58 +0000 Jeff http://nxtbot.com/blog/?p=167  

In yet another sign that we’re stepping closer to a future dominated by gun-wielding robots, Samsung has announced that it has partnered with a Korean University to produce an armed sentry guard robot that will be placed along the DMZ between North and South Korea.

According to a pair of posts over at the Defense Review and TechEBlog (link to video clip), the new robot takes the form of a stationary gun emplacement that can be equipped with a 5.56mm machine gun. A number of ambient light and thermal/infrared sensors are used for detection, while gun movement and control is managed by sophisticated pattern recognition software. The Defense Review reports that the entire system will run about $200,000 and will be available in late 2007.

I find this all a bit disconcerting, as the thought of giving robots lethal weapons doesn’t sound like a good idea. As soon as someone mentions that they’re hooking up their armed robots to an intelligent, self-aware computer network dubbed SkyNet, we’re all in big trouble. (Sources: TechEBlog, Defense Review) – [Jeff James]

]]> http://nxtbot.com/blog/2006/11/14/samsung-unveils-armed-sentry-bot/feed/ 2 Robots at the World Cup http://nxtbot.com/blog/2006/06/27/robots-at-the-world-cup/ http://nxtbot.com/blog/2006/06/27/robots-at-the-world-cup/#comments Tue, 27 Jun 2006 17:37:30 +0000 Jeff http://nxtbot.com/blog/?p=118

While the field of robotics may not have advanced quite enough yet to field a team of robotic footballers (anyone remember Atari’s coin-op Cyberball arcade game?), it has managed to produce security guards used at the World Cup soccer event in Germany.

According to an article and photo over at the Pakistan Daily Times, more than a dozen tracked robotic sentries have been prowling parking garages and the surrounding environs of the event looking for anything out of the ordinary. Developed by Berlin-based Robowatch, these robotic sentries have a great deal in common with other robots serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. From the article:

The outdoor robot OFRO, which starts at $76,000 and resembles a Mars rover on treads, uses thermal cameras at night to spot intruders from their body heat. Similar to ones used by the US military as scouts in Iraq, the OFRO is capable of far more — with sensors equipped to detect radiation, toxins, viruses and chemical warfare agents.

Check out the full article or visit the Robowatch site for more information. (Source: Pakistan Daily Times) – [Jeff James]

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