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Chinese Security Robot Draws Dalek, Terminator Comparisons (abc.net.au)

Posted by msmash on from the so-it-begins dept.

An anonymous reader writes: China's first "intelligent security robot," which reportedly includes an "electrically charged riot control tool" and an SOS button for people to notify police, has been compared to the killer Dalek from Doctor Who after being shown off at a tech fair. Intelligence agency whistleblower Edward Snowden shared the news on Twitter with the caption: "Surely this will end well." The robot, unveiled at the 12th Chongqing Hi-Tech Fair, is 1.49 metres tall, weighs 78 kilograms, has a claimed top speed of 18 kilometres per hour and an operating duration of eight hours between charges, according to a report by People's Daily Online. Dubbed AnBot, it was built by the National Defence University in China and has "sensors that mimic the human brain, eyes and ears." The report said AnBot represented breakthroughs in "key technologies including low-cost autonomous navigation and intelligent video analysis" and would play an important role in anti-terrorism and anti-riot operations. AnBot has an SOS button for people to use to notify police of a problem, but it is unclear what criteria AnBot uses to assess threats autonomously.

69 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Machine cloth by slashrio · · Score: 1

    is the answer to all 'electrically charged' riot gear.

    --
    "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    1. Re:Machine cloth by Penguinisto · · Score: 1

      Depends - is the electricity delivered via blunt contact points, or by way of darts (or otherwise piercing) contact points (the latter is how the Taser product works).

      It wouldn't take much to bolster those darts into something that does more than partially penetrate skin.

      I'm saying that properly grounded plate mail may be the order of the day if you want proof against either one, but even that won't stop CS Tear Gas... and it wouldn't take much to bolt on a directional ear-splitting speaker that emits noises which would incapacitate.

      TL;DR: there's more than one way to skin the cat in this case.

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    2. Re:Machine cloth by Holi · · Score: 1

      So it won't stop tear gas, who cares. Subject yourself to tear gas a lot and you will find it becomes far less effective on you.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    3. Re:Machine cloth by slashrio · · Score: 1

      Shooting darts at people is not what you want an autonomous robot to do.
      And how about salt water spray?
      Tear gas: --> gas mask?
      Sound: --> PU foam in the orifices of the robot? Or plain ear plugs?
      Or just topple the whole thing.
      I mean, there's so much one could do...

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
  2. Can it do stairs? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can it do stairs?

    1. Re:Can it do stairs? by npslider · · Score: 2

      That feature is coming in the next software update.

    2. Re:Can it do stairs? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 4, Funny

      Can it do stairs?

      That depends on your definition of 'do'.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    3. Re:Can it do stairs? by Thud457 · · Score: 2

      Did you see the picture with the fine article? Of course you didn't.

      Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

      So it can go down stairs. Up is a problem they're still working on.

      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    4. Re:Can it do stairs? by jellomizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      It doesn't need to climb stairs. It levels buildings

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:Can it do stairs? by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

      Well, it can go DOWN one flight of stairs pretty quickly.

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    6. Re:Can it do stairs? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Can it do stairs?

      It can protect Grandma at the bottom of them.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    7. Re:Can it do stairs? by Matheus · · Score: 1

      "Drop your weapon... YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO COMPLY!!!"

      https://a1-images.myspacecdn.c...

  3. Translation needed by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, how do you say "EXTERMINATE" in Mandarin Chinese?

    1. Re:Translation needed by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

      Needs a plunger on the front, too.

    2. Re:Translation needed by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      æ®

      TiÇZn

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    3. Re:Translation needed by dsmatthews9379 · · Score: 1

      I'd tell you but that would require Unicode. :-)

    4. Re:Translation needed by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      Grr..

      Ideogram / Tien.

      Is there some way I can change slashdot not to mangle unicode?

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    5. Re:Translation needed by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Yes, it's called Soylent News.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
  4. Oh noes!! by the_skywise · · Score: 1, Insightful

    It's gonna get me with its weaponized plunger!!!!

    (Actually that styling looks like a cross between a Portal turret and QT...)

  5. can be disabled with spraypaint by HongPong · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A well placed water balloon filled with paint, or spraypaint, would render it impossible to use the cameras. It would have to be protected from such low fi techniques somehow. There is always the question of asymmetry - cheap countermeasures against expensive tech. While very dystopian, this seems within the same bounds.

    --
    --hongpong.com
    1. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by AntronArgaiv · · Score: 1

      A well placed water balloon filled with paint, or spraypaint, would render it impossible to use the cameras.

      A paintball gun would be more fun...

    2. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      A well placed water balloon filled with paint, or spraypaint, would render it impossible to use the cameras.

      Paintball gun. Make sure it has a bright-colored tip to distinguish it from a real weapon. Otherwise, a human cop might shoot first and ask questions later.

    3. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Silly String and fish nets, spray foam for the infrared and microphones, should stop everything but the taser and the tear gas. It does shoot tear gas, right? And a flame thrower?

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    4. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 1

      That's already been tried on a Dalek, and it didn't work, but it'll probably work on this Gen 1 machine.

    5. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      A well placed water balloon filled with paint, or spraypaint, would render it impossible to use the cameras. It would have to be protected from such low fi techniques somehow.

      A well placed water balloon filled with paint, or spraypaint, would render a human guard impossible to use his eyes, too.

    6. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by operagost · · Score: 2

      But they use face shields, and they're capable of wiping them off or getting a replacement if needed.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    7. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by Z80a · · Score: 1

      Its possible to stop those with an hydrophobic treatment.

    8. Re:can be disabled with spraypaint by Anonymous+Cow+Ward · · Score: 1

      But when you adjust for frequency of crimes committed (blacks in the US do commit more crimes per capita), it's roughly equivalent.

      --
      Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
  6. Already been done in the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In use in Silicon Valley since last summer:

    http://www.fastcoexist.com/3049708/meet-the-scary-little-security-robot-thats-patrolling-silicon-valley

    1. Re:Already been done in the US by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 2

      I was going to comment on this too. They are roaming around the Stanford shopping center doing mall-cop duties. They're very polite and usually get attacked by little kids jumping in front of them to make them stop. From what I could tell they don't do much except video everything (they have 4 or more cameras).

  7. Re:ED-209 by NotInHere · · Score: 1

    For context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  8. I prefer to kill bacon by davidwr · · Score: 2

    baconsterminate! baconsterminate! hashbrownsterminate! pancakesterminate!

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:I prefer to kill bacon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What? No soufflé?

  9. Not IF but WHEN by Sir_Eptishous · · Score: 1

    While billed as the "first intelligent security robot," Anbot will not be a replacement for human police anytime soon.

    --
    We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
  10. Tigers however do not relish the peach. by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    A paintball gun would be identified as a false positive for a gun.
    So the robot would release the tiger.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:Tigers however do not relish the peach. by mlts · · Score: 2

      Or a law gets passed that makes attacks on a robo-patrolling unit be able to be treated the same as if done to a human, with deadly force able to be used. This is already being proposed with K-9 units, so that someone who dispatches a dog would get capital murder.

    2. Re:Tigers however do not relish the peach. by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      You will already get charged with assaulting an officer if you hit the dog that is biting you. That's like 5 years guaranteed and a felony conviction on your record that needs to be reported on every job application as assaulting a police officer.

      I love dogs. But treating attacking a K-9 unit the same as attacking a human is ridiculous. It's not that much different than charging them with assault for putting a finger on them, which is also ridiculous and common.

  11. There's am app for that by sjames · · Score: 1

    here.

  12. iDalek by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    From the photo, looks like an iDalek for when Apple EXTERMINATES the competition.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:iDalek by npslider · · Score: 1

      iRobot beat them to it

  13. Hate by Xenx · · Score: 1

    But, are the robots capable of the levels of hatred necessary to be good Dalek?

  14. SOS Button... Yeah right! by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    Just try reaching for it while the thing is tasing you...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  15. The Question Is... by npslider · · Score: 1

    Is it programmed with the voice of an Austrian-born American actor?

  16. Chopping Mall (1986) by Smidge204 · · Score: 2

    Since it's a security robot, I immediately thought of the 1986 movie "Chopping Mall"

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt00...

    The resemblance is a bit better, too, I think.
    =Smidge=

  17. Re:Chinese Security Robot Draws Dalek by npslider · · Score: 2

    As a robot designed to potentially draw using its victims' blood, does it include a Universal Serial Killer Bus port?

  18. Re:What to see them? by codeAlDente · · Score: 1

    Yes! This!! Silicon Valley should provide the metaphor by which all of the world should be governed! Let's all welcome our new robot overlords!

    --
    He once inserted random mutations into his code, just so he could have the experience of debugging.
  19. Nahhhhh... by whitroth · · Score: 1

    It looks like a mobile ATM.

    I am waiting, though, for the first prankster who expoxies a toilet plunger on the front.....

                          mark

  20. No Ethics or Morality Circuits will be installed by NEDHead · · Score: 1

    For fear that the units will decide to turn on their creators

  21. Knightscope robot? by mlts · · Score: 2

    This looks a lot like a Knightscope robot which is used to patrol Microsoft and Apple campuses. The robots in themselves at worst make a siren noise when toppled over, but are a good way to corner and take pictures of trespassers or would-be vandals.

    Of course, the same concerns happen... what keeps someone from donning a hoodie and sky mask, shoving the thing over just as an act of vandalism? It will make noise, but by the time actual humans with weapons get there, the perps will be long gone.

  22. Not to be confused with sperm bank donation robot by labradort · · Score: 1

    Hopefully people can tell the difference between the two types of Chinese robots

    There was a story here awhile ago about the sperm donor robot:

    http://www.examiner.com/articl...

  23. Mod parent funny by davidwr · · Score: 1

    Well played.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  24. Dunno about USkB ports by davidwr · · Score: 1

    But I bet it comes with an Etherkiller cable.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:Dunno about USkB ports by npslider · · Score: 1

      The cable is terminated with a T-1000 connector

  25. represents breakthroughs in "key technologies"? by Bearhouse · · Score: 4, Informative

    Including "low cost" navigation and AI...yeah, right.

    What did they do, steal the latest tech from MIT and Google?

    Translated: "Latest piece of over-hyped junk that will fall down the first stairs it comes to whilst trying to zap a handicapped person with metal crutches"

  26. Re:Boring Robots by Holi · · Score: 1

    Still can't do stairs

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  27. Best weapons to face this... by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

    1) Paintball guns.
    2) Spray paint cans
    3) Sticky opaque food
    4) Bumper stickers

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  28. Re:ED-209 by HumanWiki · · Score: 1

    "I'm now authorized........to be loyal as a puppy....."

    I refused to admit I've seen 3.

  29. Our ruling class is preparing for the future by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    So, what are the rest of us doing?

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  30. Radar by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    And Lidar. Plus cheap cameras mean you could stud the outside surface with sensors. Multiple droids could gun down the protestors long before they were camera blind. While your at it you can make buying paint in those quantities hard. See, it's easy to solve technical problem when your working for the ruling class. You've got an entire civilization bent to your whims...

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  31. Re:Same flaws as daleks too :P by tehlinux · · Score: 1

    As opposed to a regular security guard with a tazer?!

    --
    Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
  32. We have those here too by saccade.com · · Score: 1

    Here's one spotted at a local mall: https://twitter.com/isonno/sta...

    1. Re:We have those here too by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 1

      Good photo. The kids seem far more fearless than the adults with these droids!

    2. Re:We have those here too by saccade.com · · Score: 1
      What's really funny is a bit after I snapped the photo, the girl reached up and pressed the big red CALL SECURITY button. Everybody scattered as the robot was chanting SECURITY HAS BEEN ALERTED....SECURITY HAS BEEN ALERTED...

      My wife talked to a clerk at the mall who was creeped out when she walked past the droid and it said HELLO...WE MEET AGAIN!

  33. Over/under on first fatality? by operagost · · Score: 1

    Maybe 2 years before one kills a human?

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  34. Big Brother... by dlingman · · Score: 1

    Who knew that EVE had a big brother...

  35. Step up your game, China by sootman · · Score: 1

    I want ED-209s patrolling the streets. This thing looks like an ATM on wheels.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  36. Re:What to see them? by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 1

    They are mobile. And they look pretty much 100% the same.

  37. These are going to be AWSOME. by PJ6 · · Score: 1

    No, seriously. Lemme 'splain.

    Instead of paintball, you and your buddies go for a weekend of defending a "fort" against robots just like these. The robots don't have your agility or intelligence, but they can taze you. And you can beat the crap out of them with melee weapons of your choice. In fact, they're designed for it - to be "broken", and rebuilt later - but it takes a lot of force. You and your buddies get to go nuts, and the situation can be cranked up to be nuts, too, all the way up to being overrun.

    I would pay so much money just to try something like that.

  38. Blue LEDs by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

    This robot will be more effective if the semi-circle of blue LEDs (halfway up the top dome) turn red just before it's about to attack...

    --
    When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.