Chinese Spherical Monowheel Robocop Hits the Beat
Looking like something straight out of a science fiction film, this monowheel device is now prowling Chinese streets
Nobody can deny that in many regions of the UK there just aren’t enough police officers on the streets. Political arguments aside, the population has grown while police force sizes have not, or at least not at the same rate.
Chinese police forces are leaning on the tech sector to help plug the gap, and in a move that could be straight from the pages of a Judge Dredd or Robocop comic, a new kind of law enforcement is hitting the beat.
The piece of equipment is called the RT-G, and comes from a Chinese tech firm called LogOn Technologies. The ‘robot’ can be seen rolling along with a patrol in China, although exactly how autonomous and AI-powered it is, remains to be seen - we can see an operator following the machine who appears to be carrying a controller. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting yet fairly chilling vision of what the future of law enforcement in China could be.
The machine is an almost perfectly spherical design, although if you look at how it is moving and leaning from side to side, it is basically an oversized monowheel, which was a quirky motorcycle that caught the imagination of riders in the early days of two-wheeled travel. The RT-G is said to be able to travel on land and water, and it’s reported that in years to come these imposing-looking things could fully replace humans on the front line.
From looking at the press information regarding the device, it looks like a sturdy little thing, and is said to be capable of withstanding four tonnes of impact pressure, as well as being impervious to tampering and disablement. It is claimed to be able to travel at a maximum speed of 20mph, and that it can even relay messages to members of the public. More worryingly, it can even be equipped to fire nets to catch suspects and prevent them from escaping. I just hope those nets don’t get replaced with any spicier forms are armament.
So there we have it, Chinese battle-bots are set to replace human police officers in China. What a time to be alive…
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
