Spherical robot joined police in patrolling Chinese streets
In the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, a squad of special police officers was seen patrolling the vibrant streets, with a spherical robot steadily advancing beside them, Xinhua reports
"This 'agile roly-poly' is our new member," said Huang Sufeng, the deputy commander of a special patrol police brigade, describing the 160kg globe with a diameter of 0.8 metres.
It is a combat-capable robot designed for close-quarters engagements, including anti-terrorist operations, capable of reaching 30km per hour in a swift 2.5 seconds and being mounted with police equipment.
The designers behind this robot initially envisioned a machine designed to traversing the surface of Mercury. "Mercury is a planet with extreme temperature variations due to its proximity to the Sun," Wang You, an associate professor in Zhejiang University, explained.
The internal pendulum of the spherical robot, powered by a motor, oscillates around the sphere's core in a full-range motion, enabling the robot to roll in any specified direction with good balance. “It can roll with minimal friction, eliminating the need for extra stabilisation and also offers better energy efficiency than legged robots, capable of operating continuously for 10 hours or travelling 120km,” Wang You said.
The spherical robot is distinguished by its sealed design that protects the electronics within, thus enabling it to manoeuvre effortlessly on both land and water. The machine features a glass fibre-reinforced polymer shell that maintains the sealed environment and enables operation down to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Also, it is impact-resistant up to 4 tonnes to withstand drops from heights of up to 1 meter without damage.
