Robots to Guard Israeli Border Kill Zone

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are deploying automated weapon robots along the border of the Gaza Strip to create a buffer kill zone to prevent unauthorized infiltrations.

The system, called the "See-Shoot" system, is currently being installed and will be fully operational by the end of 2007. It consists of automated weapons stations connected through a command center to visual, ground andairborne sensors.

The system is the culmination of years of development by defense contractors Rafael, Elbit Systems and IMI.

The system is part of an IDF strategy of low-signature/no-signature warfare. The no-signature doctrine strives to keep soldiers out of harms way as much as possible.

However, "no-signature" warfare does not mean 'no responsibility' yet.
Eventually the See-Shoot system will be able to operate as a completely autonomous closed-loop system. But for now, the sensor data will be monitored by soldiers and a commanding officer will approve activation of the automated kill function.

The system is designed to enforce a 1500 meter(almost 1 mile) wide area along the border. Future plans include adding anti-tank missiles to extend the width of the no-mans land to several kilometers.

I wonder if they made plans for removing the dead bodies from the kill zone. Will they have to disable the whole system or do they have a robot that can drive through the zone and clean up? Maybe they will just leave the dead bodies laying around to mark the boundary of the buffer zone.

Similar automated systems are under development for the border in Korea.

DefenseNews.com - Israel Wants Robotic Guns, Missiles To Guard Gaza Border - 06/01/07 17:55

UK Coppers Test Sky Spy

Police in Merseyside,UK are testing an unmanned flying robot to help control the population. The BBC reports that the machine will be used "mainly for tackling anti-social behaviour and public disorder."

The unit is a small 2 pound vertical takeoff helicopter with four blades. It can have visible and infrared cameras. It can be programmed to follow a course using GPS or controlled remotely by a police officer on the ground.


The ground person watches the action from the sky high robot's point of view through video glasses display.

The robot is very quiet so you may not even know you are being watched. But it only flies for 20 minutes.

There is no word on when it will be fitted with weapons.


BBC NEWS | England | Merseyside | Pilotless police drone takes off

Security Robot SeQ-1

From Taiwan's Central News Agency, cna.com.tw.
Hopefully we will see some pictures soon.

Quote:
Taipei, April 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has developed a new security robot, called "SeQ-1," in collaboration with the Shin Kong Security Co., an ITRI spokesman said Wednesday.

The SeQ-1 robot will soon join the national security system, the spokesman said, adding that the name "SeQ-1" refers to the robot's "security" role as well as its "Q&A" function and cute appearance.

According to the spokesman, the SeQ-1 robot has a futuristic external form, an agile head which can turn easily, and large LED eyes that turn on automatically in the dark.

ITRI integrated an "environment security system" into SeQ-1's robot platform system which enables the robot to have immediate interaction with security monitoring systems and marks a big difference between the SeQ-1 and foreign security robots, the spokesman said.

NEW SECURITY ROBOT 'SEQ-1' DEVELOPED BY ITRI AND SHIN KONG SECURITY

Human Immobilizer Light on UAV

US Army researchers are working on fitting a high powered human-immobilizing spotlight onto an autonomous flying robot.

The light is a modified Maxa Beam light from Peak Beam Systems Inc. The high intensity xenon light is already available in a handheld and remote perimeter security models.
The powerful light can shine up to 7,500,000 candlepower and switch from spotlight, floodlight or stobe mode. By varying the frequency of the strobe the light can be used to disable and disorient enemies.

The army plans to use the unmanned autonomous non-lethal weapon as a "immobilization / deterrent device."

It could also be used to goof on people into thinking they were abducted by a UFO. That would be fun.

PRESOL | A | Design and fabricate a light-based immobilization / deterrent device and integrate it with an UAS. | 11-Feb-07 - FBO#1903

Chinese Security Robot

According to Xinhau the new security robot jointly developed by the Robot Research Institute of the Civil Aviation University of China and Tianjin YAAN Technology Electronics Co. Ltd., is the first of its kind in China.



The two-wheeled robot looks like a small car. It can roam independently on flat surfaces and up to a 20 degree incline.

It can be sent to find its own way or travel a pre-programmed route.

It transmits infromation from its wide-angle cameras back to a base station.

The stylish design looks like America 1950's futuristic (or 2000's China futuristic).


Xinhua - English

Armed Border Guard Robots

The border between North and South Korea may become automated on the south side.

South Korea's Minister of Commerce Industry and Energy, Chung Sye-kyun, announced that they are opening a new era by replacing human soldiers with armed robots along the militarized border with the North.

The guard robot can fire a machine gun or rubber bullets. Its visible and infrared vision systems can spot moving objects from four kilometers (2.5 miles) away during the day. It recognizes different objects from 2 km and it can identify friend from foe from 10 meters away.

South Korea could deploy hundreds of the robots along the 155 mile (250 km) border, but they have not committed to the plan yet.

They also said that they are kicking off a project to make robots that can perform more military tasks such as roving patrols, mine removal and even combat soldiers.

The guard robot was developed by a consortium led by Samsung Techwin and Korea University over three years.

SKorea unveils armed guard robot for possible use along tense border with North - smh.com.au

Rotundus Gets Rolling with Equity Support

The Swedish microelectronics company Angstrom Aerospace has taken an equity stake in the rolling robot venture Rotundus.

Angstrom Aerospace was founded to commercialize the micro and nano technology electronics and MEMS from the Angstrom Space Technology Center at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden.

Rotundus was formed in 2004 by the ASTC and Uppsala University to commercialize their Rotundus spherical surveillance robot.

The Rotundus robot is a sphere that rolls around looking at things and sensing with its sensors. It is powered by an internal pendulum and has no exposed moving parts but it can chase you up at to 10 km/hr (6.2 m/hr).

The robot shpere was originally designed for the exploration of mars but is now being promoted for security work.

Ångström Aerospace CEO Dr. Fredrik Bruhn says the investment in Rotundus will give them a "front seat to the security market."

�ngstr�m Aerospace Corporation, the no 1 in MEMS for aerospace

Protector USV Hits US Shores

Defense mega-corporations are showing off the Unmanned Surface Vehicle, USV, "Protector" to US military and security services in hopes of drumming up new orders.

BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Rafael Armament Development Authority, Ltd., announced that they will be demonstrating the unit in the US this year.

According to Steve Kelly, director of BAE Systems Naval Systems in Minneapolis, "The Protector has performed exceptionally well in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean. This system is ready and available today to meet the needs of our maritime security and defense forces."

The Protector is armed with with a Raphael stabilized mini-Typhoon weapon system and a variety of stabilized cameras, radar and navigation gear. It is described as 'highly autonomous' and can be controlled remotely from land-based or marine stations.

It can operate day or night in rough seas running up to 43 miles per hour.

Videos here.

BAE SYSTEMS North America: News and Information: News Releases

Related: Protector Naval Combat

Guardium Autonomous Border Patrol

By B.C. Kessner From Hoovers.com:

LOD, Israel--Executives said Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) is producing the first operational units of its Guardium unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) system and that sales for international border and military applications should follow soon.

"We are definitely entering the operational phase for this system," Tal Shazar, Guardium's program manager, told sister publication Defense Daily this week here at IAI's facilities, "Things are moving...we are seeing a lot more in the way of RFIs and RFPs beginning to emerge."

Executives said the United States market in particular is very interesting because Americans seem to be most aware of the need. With the continuing debate in the U.S. about border solutions at home and force protection solutions in Iraq, IAI thinks the timing for the maturation of Guardium could not be better.

However, developing (and selling) the concept for the system is even more important than the hardware, Shazar said. "The concept is flexible enough to be almost platform independent."

For example, convoy protection is something IAI has been looking at for Guardium. "What goes out forward (of the convoy) doesn't have to just be a UGV looking like Guardium, Shazar said. It could be something that looks exactly like other vehicles in the convoy, perhaps closed up and with tinted glass, but nothing indicating it is a remote vehicle testing the route or looking for IEDs, he added.

In addition to the convoy and border scenarios--to which Shazar added that the U.S.-Canadian border also presented opportunities for UGVs--IAI is looking to expand military UGV missions from areas such as force protection and forward base security to urban warfare.

"We have deployed [Guardium] several times in operational situations...including realistic and complicated urban settings," he said.
He added. "Now there is a lot of room for imagination and...the robots' presence is beginning to make its way [closer and closer] to the people."

Watch the video

News - Hoover's

All Wheel Rolling Robot

MobileRobots has announced their latest platform for roving robots.
The Seekur is a 4-wheel drive robot that can go outdoors in the weather as well as indoors.
All four wheels rotate so it can drive forward, backward and side to side.
According to MobileRobots' Chief Technology Officer, Dr. William Kennedy, "Seekur is the robot developer's dream. Seekur is holonomic; programming it is much easier than a Jeep or other vehicle with a large turning radius."
Moves are so cool you have to make up a new word to describe it.
"Holonomic" from Greek holo meaning whole and nomic meaning new fake word.
Wikipedia gives a definition of holonomic for robotics, meaning you can control every possible degree of freedom. I do not think that the Seekur can fly so it is, at best, holonomic along the ground.
Anyway, this omnidirectional robot can run autonomous or remote control.
It can carry up to 50 kg of navigation, sensors, stereovision, communications, weapons - you name it.
It is about a meter tall and 1.4 meters long and wide and weighs a whopping 770 pounds.
It can move at up to 5 mph. The 24 v NiCad battery pack can last 7 hours.

MobileRobots for Commercial & Research Applications

PatrolBot
Pioneer-DX

Roving Guard Robot

Cypress Computer Systems, a security technology integrator, is showing off MobileRobots second generation PatrolBot at a show for security professionals, ISC West, in Las Vegas.

The latest version of the rolling security gurad robot includes remote video, two-way audio and options for all kinds of additional sensors. The guard robot can interface directly with the security system so that it will automatically respond to emergencies without human intervention.
Other options available are touch-screens for guide duty or office delivery service.

CypressWorld - Cypress Computer Systems, Inc.

Security Robot With False Credentials

Even a cursory background check of the Hitachi security robot displayed recently may show that it is not what it appears.

According to robot manufacturer Mobile Robots, the Hitachi robot is actually one of their Pioneer-DX robots which has been available for four years.

So take a lesson. Before you hire a security robot make sure you do a background check and look under the plastic bubble head.

Robots for Commercial & Research Applications

Rolling Observation Robot

Rolling security guard robots seem to be a very popular job for robots these days.
Here is Hitachi's entry into the market:
About 2-foot tall sphere with a camera that pops out of the head like a periscope. It does not need navigation markers because it generates its own map of the building and can navigate around on its own. It uses laser sensing to create the maps and avoid running into things.
The pattern recognition software allows it to compare the scene as it does its rounds and tell you if anything has changed.

Mainichi Daily

Robot Home Security Surrogate

Sentinel, a home robot offered by a Toronto company, Dr. Robot, will guard and monitor your home.

You can monitor the sight and sounds of your home over the internet as the guard robot does his rounds. You can also remotely direct him and speak through him.

You can trust his sophisticated navigation system to let him roam free through your house and to find his own way back to his charging station.

I wonder if you can get one with a vacuum cleaner. I'm just saying, since it is wandering around the house anyway it might as well do a little cleaning.

"The Sentinel package includes everything you need to deploy a fully autonomous intelligent robot in your home."

Dr Robot Inc.

Robot Police Project Launched in Korea

By Hwang Si-young

The Korean government announced yesterday it will start developing "robots for social safety" beginning as early as the later this year.

Robots for social safety means robots serving public purposes like public security, night guard, military duties, fire suppression and work at prisons, according to officials of the Ministry of Information and Communication.

A task force, composed of related industry experts and researchers, will first examine the viability of the so-called social safety robotics project in terms of technicality and marketability, hopefully to embark on the project later this year.

Robots functioning like dogs and horses

Further, the MIC, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Defense, plans to develop robots used for loading/unloading processes.

Dubbed literally as "robots functioning like dogs and horses," - dogs and horses in a Chinese phrase signify people who do not spare their efforts - they are currently being developed by the Agency for Defense Development and the Korean state think tank Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, said Hyung Tae-gun, director-general at the MIC's Information and Communication Policy Bureau.

Development of these six-legged robots, designed to perform dangerous tasks such as walking through minefields, deactivating unexploded bombs or clearing out hostile buildings, will be completed by 2009.

Three billion won (US $3 mil)is earmarked for the loading robotics project this year and 3-4 billion won will be gradually invested during the three-year period 2006-2009, Hyung said.

Also, the MIC reaffirmed yesterday its commitment to develop intelligent robots priced below 1 million won (US $1000)this year.

The definition of intelligent service robots has yet to be made, but will include robots for entertainment, education, home security and household chores.

The Korea Herald : The Nation's No.1 English Newspaper

A Robot in Every Korean Home By 2020

Robotic Helpers to Fill Homes from Next Year

The Ministry of Information and Communication Republic of Korea said Wednesday it will launch robotic home helpers at the very reasonable price of around W1 million (US$1,000) in a test market from October next year. Information Minister Chin Dae-je said, “I expect the ‘one household, one robot’ era will come in 2020.” The low-priced robot project will create W1.5 trillion (US$1.5 billion) in added value, Chin added.

The ministry’s network robots come in three types ? the relatively smart education robot Jupiter, which reads English fairy tales to children using voice recognition software, the simpler remote-controlled cleaning robot Netoro, and the e-mail-literate telecommunication robot Roboid. Looking remarkably similar to R2D2 in “Star Wars”, they will be made by robotics firms Yujin Robotics, Hanool Robotics and I.O. Tech.
Minister Chin Dae-je [from The Korea Times]

The key to the ministry’s robot project lies in linking robots with the broadband convergence network (BcN) built by KTF and SK Telecom to control their operation. They are run not by expensive built-in software but through a mobile high-speed Internet connection.

“Since robots operate as quasi-artificial intelligence, unlike PCs, they can potentially harm human beings, especially the elderly or children,” the minister said. “That’s why we are going to concentrate our efforts on the security or stability of the system.”

Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea: "The Ministry of Information and Communication"

Security Robot Includes Fuel Cell Power

Sohgo Security Services Co., a major security firm, is currently developing a robot equipped with a fuel-cell battery that will work round the clock for one week without a recharge.

It is designed to work as a receptionist while being charged and go on patrol a few times each night.

Sohgo Security is aiming to equip the robot with a fuel-cell battery to be supplied from Yuasa Corp., a major battery maker.

The robot sends alarm signals to a security center when it detects flame within 10 meters and people within 8 meters. It also intimidates possible thieves with alarms, flashing lights and loud recordings of the words "thief" and "wait."

"Thief! Wait! Touch my screen for directions!"

"The robot can even work in dark rooms using ultrasound wave sensors and infrared rays," Ariki said.

As a receptionist, it gives building visitors directions using voice guidance and a touch screen. It can also lead visitors to their destinations.

"However, we have no intention of developing dangerous tools that will cause physical harm, even to thieves" Tosaka said. "Robots must not have the capability of attacking human beings."

More on Sohgo Security robot...

Another fuel cell powered robot...


Fuel Cell Works Supplemental News Page

Low-Cost Robots Ready to Take Over

Stand Watch For Security Robots

Robotics operating system vendor Frontline Robotics and mobile robot hardware creator White Box Robotics in May merged to develop a bare-bones platform that could bring the cost of such embedded security robots down into the $10,000 range by November.

Today, robots with similar features cost $40,000 to $60,000, said Tom Burick, founder and president of White Box Robotics.

The U.N. Economic Commission and the International Federation of Robotics believe that revenue from this robotics segment will reach $5.2 billion this year, with the number of units increasing tenfold, mainly due to reduced costs.

DoDAAM Systems, a systems integration company in Korea that has already developed commercial-class security systems for airports based on the Frontline software, says it is evaluating the new hardware prototype and will eventually develop indoor security robots that use the technology.

The companies also have been approached by an insurance company interested in placing some of the mobile units in elder-care facilities to ensure the quality of care. About 3,000 robots based on 914 PC-BOT should be available from White Box and its partners by year-end 2005, Burick said.

Security Pipeline | Stand Watch For Security Robots

Robot Guards in Japan

Japanese robot guards to patrol shops, offices

Equipped with a camera and sensors, the "Guardrobo D1," developed by Japanese security firm Sohgo Security Services Co., is designed to patrol along pre-programmed paths and keep an eye out for signs of trouble.



The 109-cm tall robot will alert human guards via radio and by sending camera footage if it detects intruders, fires, or even water leaks.

"In the near future, it is certain that securing young and capable manpower will become even more difficult ... and the security industry will feel the full brunt of the impact," the company said in a statement.

Around one in five Japanese are now 65 or over and the proportion is expected to rise to one in three in 2040, according to government data

Science News Article | Reuters.com

Robot Watchdog Giant Eyeball

Roborior is interior decor, guard dog
YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO - It looks like a watermelon-sized eyeball on wheels that glows in hues of purple, blue and orange while gurgling with whimsical buzzes and rings.

Roborior
The new Roborior gadget works as interior decor, but it's also a virtual guard dog because it has a digital camera, infrared sensors and videophone capability - to notify you of intruders while you are away from home.
The $2,600 (280,000 yen) contraption by Japanese robot maker Tmsuk Co. and electronics company Sanyo Electric Co. can connect with the owner's mobile phone to relay streaming video taken on the robot's digital camera.
It can be remote-controlled with a handset to go forward, backward, left or right. The buttons also adjust the angle of the digital camera to look up or down.

Set the robot on "house-sitting mode" and it will call you on your cell phone when an intruder is detected by one of its three infrared sensors, designed to monitor all sides.

"This is a robot that can actually be used in people's home," Yuji Kawakubo, the official in charge of Roborior, said Wednesday. "It is inspired by jellyfish, a type of living creature that communicates through light."

Tmsuk has already produced the four-legged security robot Banryu, which is about the size of a large dog and sells for $18,000 (2 million yen). But the company, based in Kyushu, southwestern Japan, wanted to make a smaller robot that can better blend into homes.

Banryu 2002


AP Wire | 06/01/2005 | Roborior is interior decor, guard dog