DRDO unveils robot for home security needs

DRDO unveils robot for home security needs TIRUPATI: Are you tired of warning your watchman not to take frequent naps? You need no longer worry about the security of your house, office or industrial unit. The 'Robot Sentry' will take care of all your security needs, thanks to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Robot Sentry will not only move around the

premises but also take photographs of all suspicious objects and events to enable the law enforcing authorities to crack down on the culprits in case of an untoward incident. You can also monitor the premises real time for effective surveillance and protection. Just forget the Gorkha, RoboSen is here. According to a DRDO publication available at the 104th session of the Indian Science Congress here, the Robot Sentry or simply RoboSen is a "mobile robot targeted at patrolling and surveillance applications in urban campuses". This intelligent mobile robot is connected through wireless link. While the RoboSen is placed on the premises, the operator control unit is kept inside the house or office. "The robot can be commanded to move autonomously along a predefined path or controlled by a joystick while providing a continuous video feedback. The RoboSen senses its environment using GPS, stabilised digital compass, and laser range finders, which help te navigation and path planning algorithms in avoiding obstacles as it patrols a campus," the research organisation said.

Along with RoboSen, you can also bank on what the DRDO calls the `Snake Ro bot'. Like a snake, this robo crawls everywhere as it has a whole body locomotion. A DRDO document points out that the snake robo with 14 active joints is capable of "lateral undulation, side winding, and rolling gaits."

"These robots have three degrees of freedom legs giving them omni-directional motion capability. The robots have been equipped with ultrasonic sensors for obstacle detection and avoi dance," it adds. When you have a robot sentry and snake robot, why not think of a `climbing robot' to scale walls vertically. The DRDO's climbing robot is a miniature-tracked robot capable of climbing vertical walls. "It has an on board colour camera for video feedback," it says.

The DRDO's publication says that intelligent mobile robotics for defence has constantly progressed through indigenous synergies in diverse multidisciplinary technologies. "Extrinsically, it has been driven by the current military scenario which demands unmanned systems with the ability to operate in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode, under varied environmental conditions and terrain," it said adding that intelligence and mobility are critical enablers for unmanned systems targeted for military operations.