SECOM's Robocop Robotics / Other Posted by zmcnulty on Jul 22, 2004 - 04:38 PM |
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"Secom Robot X" is the name of this new security robot. It hasn't got any guns, but damn...it should. Secom Corporation announced that they have developed the "Secom Robot X" outdoor surveillance robot, and held a demonstration. The robot has a 106cm length, 80cm width, 98cm height, and it weighs 120kg. The body is made of reinforced plastic. With a speed of 10km, it can go about the speed of a human's "double time." It is intended for use at large areas such as harbors and manufacturing, in the place of standard security patrols. It is also intended to cover any blind spots that there may be in surveillance. This robot's internal battery can run it for about 24km. Recharging takes 8 hours. At this stage, recharging needs to be done manually; but a feature to have the robot automatically recharge itself is in development. Also, audio can be monitored with the microphone, and even played from the speaker. As a camera, the robot uses a uni-directional, high/low angle, color/infrared camera. As an option, a heat-sensitive camera can also be equipped. Furthermore, it features a smoke emitter called "Foggy" and bubblegum machine-like lights that will (hopefully) repel intruders. In total, the robot has 6 wheels, two of which drive it. The front 2 wheels are there really to only protect from wheelies, so Secom perceives it as "4 wheel (+2 wheel)". There are two movement modes. It can travel on a predetermined route, or in times of emergency, be remotely controlled. Buried magnetic guidelines and RFID are being considered for configuring routes. This is the third of Secom's "well-being" robots, following after the "My Spoon" and "Secom Robot." Development has taken a little under two years. The robot displayed at the press event was just a prototype; the company plans for a longer running time and increased ability to go over bumps and such when the device goes into mass production. They are shooting for a release early net year. The price of development has not been publicized. Speaking of prices, this robot won't be just "sold" and have to be maintained; the system will be rented for around 300,000 yen per month. According to Socom, this is low compared to the 600,000 or 700,000 yen it costs to employ a person for a month. As there are currently 15,000 security personnel nationwide, 500 robots will be produced in the first year. Development will continue on the unit; the company plans for features such as technology to allow it to run safely in crowded areas, in heavy rain, on ice, and on snowy surfaces.  Inspired by (with more pictures, even videos): http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0722/secom.htm [1] Secom Homepage: http://www.secom.co.jp/ [2] |
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This article is from TechJapan http://www.techjapan.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=424 Links in this article [1] http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0722/secom.htm [2] http://www.secom.co.jp/ |