NCJ Number
190348
Date Published
November 2000
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This technical report identifies the needs of law enforcement for mobile robotics.
Abstract
The two most active applications for mobile robots have been military and law enforcement. For law enforcement, most activities to date have been in the area of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), where robots are used to keep the human bomb disposal expert out of harm’s way. This survey was performed to determine the desired attributes of an EOD robot, and to assess law enforcement needs for robots beyond EOD and identify technologies that can help meet those needs. A web-based survey was conducted over a period of 8 weeks addressing scenarios and tasks where a robot would be used if available and the tools, features, and parameters deemed most important to carry out those tasks. It also solicited respondents’ experiences with currently available robots. The survey was publicized by electronic mail to over 200 State and local law enforcement agencies. Face-to-face, telephone, and e-mail interviews were conducted with personnel from the Unmanned Ground Vehicles/Systems Joint Project Office (UGVS/JPO) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to identify Department of Defense (DOD) robotics technologies that could contribute to the development of law enforcement robots. Results showed that the law enforcement community placed the most emphasis on having robots perform the functions of small-item delivery, passive remote communication, and remote surveillance. Features of a robot that were viewed as most important included stair-climbing ability, a robust communication link, low cost, and longer battery life. Most of these requirements are being addressed by the DOD activities surveyed. Solutions for other requirements can be found in the commercial sector or are being sought by the scientific community for applications outside robotics. It was concluded that no single robot would meet all the demands of law enforcement beyond EOD. Recommendations included the development of two classes of robots, separated by size; each one modular, with application-specific mission packages or tool sets that can be tailored to the needs of a specific user. 43 figures, references, appendices