June 05--The newest addition to the Akron Police Department weighs 23 pounds, is just over 2 feet long and can be thrown through windows.
The department is hoping this new "robocop" will help save lives.
Akron is buying a tactical robot that will be used by law-enforcement agencies in Summit County, though it will be maintained by the Akron Police Department's SWAT team.
Akron City Council on Monday approved the $11,445 purchase, which will be made with funds from a Summit County Emergency Management Agency grant. The city is buying the robot from RoboteX, a Palo Alto, Calif., company.
"This allows us to keep first responders out of harm's way," Malinda Sampsell, grant writer for the Akron Police Department, told council members Monday.
The SWAT team doesn't currently have a robot, which is a tool used by many other law-enforcement agencies. The Summit County Bomb Squad has a robot for handling explosive devices, but it isn't as small and mobile as the AVATAR Micro model that Akron is purchasing, Sampsell said.
The AVATAR is operated with a hand-held controller similar to one used for a remote-control car and has two infrared color cameras that provide a 360-degree image of what the robot is seeing. It can navigate carpet, grass, mud, water and household debris and rights itself if upended, according to RoboteX.
Sampsell said the robot, which looks like a small black metal tank, isn't bulletproof, but is made to take a beating.
"It takes a licking and keeps on ticking," said Councilman Jeff Fusco.
Councilman Kenneth Jones questioned whether the robot will hold up and be worth the expense, if it ends up getting shot and destroyed.
"If it saves one life, it's worth it," Fusco said.
The robot comes with a three-year warranty, and officer training is included in the price, Sampsell said.
Councilman Mike Freeman, who chairs council's Public Safety Committee, asked Sampsell to let council know when the robot is used. Sampsell said the device will be delivered soon and officers will be trained how to use it.
"It's as easy as a remote-control car," she said.
No other law-enforcement agencies in Ohio have an AVATAR. It's mainly being used in larger cities, like Miami, Seattle, Oakland, Houston, St. Louis and San Francisco, according to RoboteX.
Several police agencies gave the AVATAR high marks in testimonials on RoboteX's website, www. robotex.com, which also has photos and videos of the robot.
"My team has used the AVATAR on actual operations with excellent results," said a testimonial from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. "The AVATAR robot allowed my team to search for a barricaded suspect, who shot at us several times, without having to place my teammates in harm's way."
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio
