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Homemade Robot Patrols Atlanta Streets
Josh Fink brings news of an Atlanta resident who has created a remote control robot to scare off criminals during the night. Rufus Terrill, an engineer, uses it to patrol the streets and encourage drug dealers and other shady characters to move on. Local residents call it his "Robocop." From CNN:
"It's a barbecue smoker mounted on a three-wheeled scooter, and armed with an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon that shoots a stream of icy water about 20 feet. Operated by remote control, the robot spotlights trespassers on property down the street from his bar, O'Terrill's. Using a walkie-talkie, Terrill belts out through the robot's loudspeaker, 'That's private property. You guys need to get out of here.'"
Yeah it is, but not because of the "vigilantes" squirting trespassers (oh heavens not that!) but because there aren't enough police to keep all the drug dealers and criminals in line. You can thank the War on (Some) Drugs for that, since it makes sure there's a lucrative black market at all times.
everything in moderation
1) A nice siren and flashy lite to attract attention.
2) Some strategically placed handles that can be electrified
3) When all else fails, a beeping self-destruct countdown timer
Life moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -FB
No rule of law there. None, zero. There are *many* areas of Atlanta that have no actual police presence except to come up and pick up bodies or similar things like that. Even the "mad dogs"-that's 4 beefy cops to a cruiser, that's the local street slang term--give a lot of the areas a wide berth unless there is a huge bust going down and there's like 20 cops with full auto weapons handy. I used to have to work in such a neighborhood, doing repairs on rental units. I couldn't leave my work van unlocked for 15 seconds, the bums, crackheads and winos and local gangstas would come and just stand around and wait for you to leave then go right to trying to break in. I am not kidding. I went armed all the time when I was working around there, it was dang scary. A lot of times I had to just give up and leave, not even try to get into a unit and do some work depending on how bad the local street scene was when I showed up. I have found needles in second story gutters I was tasked to repair. I've put in new doors and plumbing fixtures and window screens etc that were gone-stripped out-within an hour, or just destroyed for some sort of sport.
I really don't think you have a handle on how bad some of these neighborhoods are, and kids are trying to grow up there and somehow come out reasonable sane and normal. It's just terrible really. Robert Heinlein action, AAs or abandoned areas.
On a serious note, how bad would the owner feel if they lost control of it on a steep hill and it struck a kid or caused a road accident? On a not so serious note, let it loose on the Amish, hours of fun! Before it got unceremoniously decommissioned.
And the bot is a hit. He actually talks to the cops that come in from time to time, and they love it. Rufus has to deal with these homeless wastes of space coming in, harassing the customers, and trying to steal shit all the time.
He actually owns most of the entire block, and everyone supports him. That poor shitty homeless shelter down the street sure fucks things up all around the entire area.
He has actually ran for Gov. I believe, and came in last every time, but hell.... I think cities need crazy old guys like this.
Before you bother white knighting for the 'poor homeless chaps' down the road, you should hang out for a couple of hours, and watch them smoke crack, huff paint, and harass poor passer-by.