Watch China’s Autonomous Armed Security Robot

Watch China’s Autonomous Armed Security Robot

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China’s People Daily brings news of a new RoboCop type bot developed at China’s National Defence University. The Anbot is designed with anti-terrorism and anti-riot operations in mind, but can also autonomously patrol for eight hours on a single charge.

Anbot, unveiled at the 12th annual Congqing Hi-Tech Fair, is only 1.5 metres tall, weighs just 78 kilogrammes, but has an impressive top speed of 18 kilometres per hour. During patrols, however, it is meant to cruise at a tranquil 1 kilometre per hour. In shape, the Anbot is reminiscent of the infamous sci-fi Daleks or a Russian nesting doll.

It’s equipped with “sensors that mimic the human brain, eyes and ears,” according to the People Daily, and represents breakthroughs in “key technologies including low-cost autonomous navigation and intelligent video analysis” to assess threats and evolving situations.

Details of autonomous threat analysis have not been released, however individuals in danger can use the Anbot’s inbuilt SOS button to send a distress call to authorities.

The Anbot’s offensive capability is, at this stage, remotely controlled, but is still reportedly formidable. The robot has an “electrically charged riot control tool” to keep attackers at bay, the People Daily reports. The riot control was not demonstrated in a report on New China TV, so assessing its efficacy at this stage is difficult.

The Anbot is not the first autonomous security robot, the remarkably similar-looking Knightscope K5 beat it to the punch by a couple years (it’s been operational in Silicon Valley since late 2014). The Knightscope, however, lacks the offensive capabilities of the Anbot.