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Reborg-Q May You Shop In Peace
Reborg-Q is the latest in what seems to be a serious roll-out of semi-autonomous security guard robots. The system will be put into action at AquaCity shopping mall in Odaiba (Tokyo) in mid-December.
(Reborg-Q on duty at the mall)
Reborg-Q is the creation of Sohgo Security Services; it weight 200 pounds and stands a non-threatening fifty inches tall. It can follow a preset course; it can also be remote-controlled by joystick. Cameras mounted in the head and shoulders provide video; sensors can detect fire and water leaks.
It also provides the functions associated with a mall information kiosk. A touch-screen in the robot's chest can display information. It's synth voice can even make promotional announcements.
Adding even more functionality, it has a contactless reader in its right shoulder that can be used to check company IDs. The initial cost of the system is in the $8,500 to $17,000 range.
Guard robots seem to be all the rage in the far East: see Secom Robot X Security Guard Works For Less, First Chinese Security Guard Robot and the somewhat more muscular South Korean Intelligent Surveillance and Guard Robot for more details.
These security guard robots remind me of the Robot Probes (Arr-twos) from Niven and Pournelle's 1981 novel Oath of Fealty:
That led to his development of robot probes; small devices with cameras and sound equipment which could move freely through Todos Santos under Rand's direct control.Found this bot at Pink Tentacle.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/28/2006)
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