If you think robots are just for bomb disposal, think again. Police robots are often used to handle IEDs, but they can be used in other arenas that are inhospitable to humans. Robots can be used to reach a barricaded subject or hostages and carry information or evidence back out without sending an officer into the line of fire. They can also provide enhanced surveillance and deploy lethal or less-lethal weapons.
Tactical Robots
TASER International and the iRobot Corp. are developing an iRobot PackBot Explorer capable of remotely delivering a TASER charge. Once fully realized, this small, portable unit will be capable of remotely delivering a TASER depolyment into a hostile environment.
Tactical Systems' LECTOR Robot In a Box is a smaller unit than the HD, weighing eight pounds compared to the 45-pound HD robot. It also has a range of 1,200 feet. The on-board video system can capture about two hours of footage using a pan/tilt infrared video camera that operates in low-light conditions. It can capture images up to 1/2 mile away (line of sight). It can carry a 37mm multi-barrel launcher.
Officers can monitor a robot's deployment from a mobile command center or other remote location using a video system. Monitors are used to help coordinate with officers who are in closer proximity to the robot and allow commanders to make quicker decisions.
Tactical Systems' HD can handl;e rough terrain, climb common household stairs and tow up to a 300-pound load. It also has a range of 1,200 feet and an on-board video system that can capture eight hours of footage using a pan/tilt infrared video camera that operates in low-light conditions. It can capture images up to one mile away (line of sight).
EOD Robotics' creations have articulated arms and mounting capabilities that make them versatile law enforcement tools. Currently, most police use of robots is centered on the "bomb squad" or EOD mission. Some departments that use robots to support their tactical team must call out the EOD team to get access to the equipment, even if the situation has nothing to do with EOD.
Robots can search potentially dangerous objects and report back on their progress via video to officers who can safely monitor the situation from afar. Technologies that make remote control of the robots possible include either fiber-optic or hard-tether cables, as well as wireless radio control.