Rotundus GroundBot – surveillance of the future

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Crossed somewhere between something out of the Prisoner, my nightmares and my nightmares about the Prisoner, the Rotundus surveillance robot completely freaks me out. It’s not this picture that does the damage but the video of it in action on its home site looking all too much like a future I’m not sure I want to be a part of; a future where we not only have 1,001 CCTV cameras but where they actual patrol around us as well.

All the same, the Rotundus GroundBot is a really nice piece of kit. It’s driven at up to 6mph by remote control on a 8-16 hour Li-ion battery charge and it’s designed to go anywhere. Neither mud, snow, sand or probably anything except a ball pool will stop it.

The cameras, GPS and all the other necessaries are safely tucked away behind the plastic with the only problem being that it’ll be able to see sod all once it’s caked in mud. When clean, it has a 360 degree view, though, and whether or not it looks like a football, I wouldn’t go kicking it unless you want the kind of bruise you get from a 25kg lump – probably the broken ankle kind of bruise.

There aren’t any in commercial operation at the moment…as far as we know…and most of me is very glad of that. I’m even more glad it’s not equipped to carry weaponry. Yet.

(via Gizmo Watch)

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Daniel Sung
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2 comments

  • At least it rolls around on the ground and is therefore easy to smash! It’s the airborne ones that scare me!

    • Someone will just have to invent surveillance proof clothing; a suit of mirrors or something. That’d look pretty good actually.

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