The Chinese police have at their disposal a new assistant – a spherical robot RT-G, capable of reaching speeds of up to 35 km.
In Eastern China, police are now patrolling the streets with a rolling robot that can chase down suspects — and, they say, beat them in a fight.
As the South China Morning Post reports, cops in the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province have lately been flanked by the spherical robot that looks a bit like a militarized version of the cutesy BB-8 robot in “Star Wars.”
Named the “Rotunbot“ or “RT-G” for short, It was created by researchers at Zhejiang University on behalf of a Shenzen-based outfit called Logon Technology. It reportedly weighs about 275 pounds and travels up to 22 miles-per-hour — and according to Wang You, an associate professor who worked on it, only takes a few seconds to reach that speed.
RT-G is a spherical robot weighing 125 kg, equipped with an artificial intelligence system and facial recognition function, which allows it to identify criminals. His arsenal also includes tear gas, smoke bombs, and several other tools to control order.
It is equipped with various sensors, including GPS for positioning, as well as many cameras and ultrasonic sensors. This allows it to navigate in space, avoid collisions with people and obstacles, and identify potential threats and targets.
It’s no longer the stuff of science fiction. From manufacturing and healthcare to transportation and education, it’s increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily lives. As technology advances and robots become more sophisticated, they are transforming industries and revolutionizing the way we live, work, and interact. Recently, China introduced a revolutionary spherical police robot equipped with AI, capable of autonomous operation. The cutting-edge autonomous spherical robot named ‘RT-G’ was developed by robotics firm Logon Technology.
Unlike Western models primarily designed for surveillance, this robot is engineered to actively pursue and apprehend suspects. Footage has emerged of the RT-G robots navigating city streets, vigilantly monitoring their surroundings for potential criminal activity. Designed to operate in high-risk environments, these innovative robots are intended to assist, and eventually replace, human personnel in situations involving crime.
“Chinas just rolled out a spherical police robot that can chase down criminals, shoot nets, and even handle falls from heights! It moves at speeds up to 35 km/h — talk about a futuristic crime fighter,” Official Account of Chengdu City wrote on Instagram while sharing the video.
Equipped with net-guns, tear gas, and speakers, It is also reportedly pretty good at scaring off any would-be attackers.
“If you win the fight, you’ll end up in jail,” the robot was heard saying in a recent fight simulation viewed by the SCMP. “If you lose the fight, you’ll end up in hospital.”
Burning Rubber
While “Star Wars” aesthetics are very much present in RT-G’s design, its autonomous operations are more akin to the 2010 sleeper horror hit “Rubber,” which follows a sentient tire as it wreaks havoc across a desertscape.
Though there don’t seem to have been any public demonstrations of the robot operating autonomously yet, a promotional video released by Logon ahead of RT-G’s deployment in Wenzhou suggests it can navigate various types of situations by itself.
“Narrow terrain, extreme weather, dangerous work environments, violent conflicts and wars, all pose huge threats to human life and activities,” reads a translation of the video on the r/Cyberpunk subreddit. “Thus, an amphibious, intelligent robot emerged to replace humans in these style environments.”
It’s a far cry from the crappy police robots that have been repeatedly deployed and recalled by law enforcement in New York — and honestly, this one is a lot scarier.
The RT-G is currently being tested in the commercial area of Wenzhou City, located in southeast China’s Zhejiang Province. At the moment, it is controlled remotely, but in the future, it is planned to make the device completely autonomous.
