Robot Defense Team
China unveiled a team of robots designed for urban combat at the Beijing 2015 World Robot Conference. The robots were developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) Robot Group.
The robot team consists of three variants: An armed variant that can be equipped with an assault rifle, grenade, or recoilless rifle; a recon variant with NBC detectors; and an explosive ordnance disposal variant designed to disarm explosives and dispose of other hazardous materials.
Each robot runs on a 10-12kg (22-44 lb) tracked chassis. The recon variant is light enough to be carried in a backpack by soldiers, and the robots are remotely operated.
Police Adoption
According to HIT Robot Group sales manager Cheng Deqiang, one set of the three variants will cost around 1.5 million Yuan (approx $230,000 USD). Among its first adopters is the Beijing police department, and other Chinese police departments are expected to soon follow.
The robot's chassis have two pairs of tracks; the smaller forward pair helps them go over obstacles like steps, which enable them to get into hard-to-reach places.
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