Security Robot
Make way R2D2, a new robot is on its way in reality. While a thinking, walking, talking robot may still be found readily only on The Jetsons or in movies, Japan has already made vast strides in the robotic field. Robot developer, Tmusk and security firm, Alacom, two Japanese companies, have come together and developed a robot, prototype T34, which can be used for security purposes.
It looks like a small vehicle on wheels and uses motion sensor technology to ‘see’ things. The best part about this is that it can be controlled by a mobile phone and the images, too, are transmitted to a mobile phone, so the person monitoring the phone can be mobile instead of being stuck in one place looking at big screen monitors.
This robot can move at a top speed of 6 mph and so can even follow intruders. It also has the ability to spray a spider web net on the intruder to entangle him and slow him down until he has been captured, ostensibly by the person using the cell phone or his back-up.
It remains to be seen how effective such a robot will be in a real life situation. It may be useful to a limited extent, but if a criminal or intruder has a gun or knife, then unless the back-up is suitably armed, nothing much can be done except capturing images in real time and hoping that these will lead to the criminal.
It can pssibly slow criminals down provided they get thoroughly entangled in the net, more so if it is difficult to remove, and so waste precious time that the person may have used to run away.