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Beware The Rotundus Rover
EasyTarget writes "Originally developed as a Mars Rover, the Swedish developers of the Rotundus are now pitching their all-terrain pendulum powered sphere as a robotic Security Guard. I'm sure I have seen this in action already."
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Toys/entertainment. One example is a remote controlled robotball for all kinds of terrain
I have trouble believing that something that makes a good security guard also makes a good children's toy...
Oh yeah, and what the hell is a robotball?
Based on the pictures and description on the site, it sure looks like it can go a lot of places. I'm not sure what it can do once it gets there (since it's really just a sphere with notches to act like treads).
When are robots like Rosie on the Jetsons going to be easily affordable?
I'm a big tall mofo.
530 Sorry, the maximum number of allowed clients (10) already connected Man, what a massive client limit. Ironically, it's probably what will keep their server from grinding to a total halt...though I shudder to think how many 530's it's spewing out at the moment.
Stand clear of the doors. The doors are now closing.
In The Prisoner, their security is a big ball of canvas filled with something and it suffocates people trying to escape. Why don't they try that?
"Scientists have proof without certainty; Creationists have certainty without proof" -Ashley Montagu
Granted, a camera that rolls around inside a sealed sphere is a neat idea by itself, but the suggested security applications are just plain poorly-thought-out.
Consider that anyone with a weighted net or a tube of epoxy could immobilize the thing. A tarp with sandbag corners could both blind and immobilize the unit.
Consider that even though it can be sealed to eliminate the chance of water dirt or mud getting inside, covering it with mud will make it useless anyway, especially if immobilized.
One quarter-can of spray paint should be enough to cover the whole ball. Sure its mobile, but if it's blind it's not useful.
It can't climb stairs or ladders and it can't rattle doorknobs. It can't look into windows at eye-level and it can't shine a flashlight into areas. It can't collar, beat up or shoot trespassers/transgressors. There's no mention of audio monitoring capability, either.
To quote TFA; "In the security business as a whole there is a strong pressure to replace humans with technology in order to reduce costs and increase security. Substantial savings are possible because a single security officer can cost up to $200,000 for a 24 hour service."
Sure, hiring real people to do security work is expensive, but you get real people doing the work, and the capabilities of real people are far greater than a camera-in-a-beachball.
To be fair, I'll also grant that human security guards may be prone to laziness, sleeping on the job, not being observant, etc. However, the idea that a rolling ball has enough capability to replace a real person (eyes and ears, a nightstick, a flashlight, a gun and a loop of keys) is pretty far out. Even patrolling parking lots seem like a stretch to me.
.. pa-ra-bo-la, pa-ra-bo-la, 2 pi R, 2 pi R, where's your latus rectum, where's your latus rectum, 2 pi R