Fighting crime: Chinese police test round autonomous robot
In China, police authorities are using the spherical robot RT-G. It uses AI to identify criminals and arrests them autonomously with its arsenal of weapons.
The single-wheeled RT-G robot should be able to apprehend criminals autonomously.
(Image: Logon Technology)
Chinese police authorities are testing the RT-G spherical surveillance robot from robotics company Logon Technology. The robot has a single central wheel that enables it to move autonomously on land and in water. The robot is designed to use artificial intelligence (AI) to independently identify criminal activities and wanted criminals. RT-G is already patrolling in public on a trial basis in conjunction with police officers in China.
The RT-G measures around 60 cm in diameter and weighs 125 kg. It is propelled by a rotating central wheel and its direction is controlled by shifting weight. The single wheel has several advantages: The robot is thus more secure against vandalism and can withstand impacts of up to 4 tons. It can also move robustly over a variety of terrains, including difficult ones, and in water. In water, the robot floats on the surface and is propelled by the wheel in a similar way to a paddle steamer. On land, it can reach speeds of up to 35 km/h.
Fighting crime with non-lethal weapons
The RT-G is equipped with an AI that should be able to recognize illegal activities in public. In addition, the robot can recognize known and wanted criminals using facial recognition via side-mounted cameras. In such cases, it informs human police officers or arrests or incapacitates the criminals with its built-in weapons. The robot has a whole arsenal of non-lethal weapons at its disposal for this purpose. These include a net gun, tear gas, grenades and sonic wave dispersal devices.
Videos by heise
A video in the British Sun shows how the robot patrols the streets together with police officers and how autonomous crime-fighting is supposed to work.
By using the RT-G, the Chinese security authorities hope to track down known criminals more quickly, speed up law enforcement and increase public safety through surveillance.
(olb)
