Mobile Robot Technology Takes Burden Off First Responders: MobileRobots Inc. Makes Robots that Boldly Step in Where Humans Can’t Always Tread

Amherst, NH (PRWEB) September 9, 2006 – It has been five years since 9/11 yet terrorist warnings continue to keep Americans in a state of anxious alert. Robotics technology created by MobileRobots Inc. of Amherst, NH is helping citizens to feel less threatened by ensuring domestic security; MobileRobots creates robots that boldly step in where humans won’t, or can’t, tread. MobileRobots is the first company to offer this type of technology for sale.

MobileRobots’ robotic platforms have widespread applications for homeland security and surveillance. These platforms map spaces, patrol unmanned structures, detect moving objects, take photos, gauge heat (or other hazards), and serve as an automated response system, traveling immediately to a point of intrusion or disturbance.

Two of MobileRobots platforms, PatrolBotTM and MapperBotTM, act as a facility’s “go-fer,” allowing for safe, two-way audio communication with intruders, remote observation of difficult areas, hazard detection (gas, heat, or smoke), remote equipment trouble-shooting, and convenient delivery of equipment or supplies.

Mobile robots, such as PatrolBot and MapperBot, can save labor hours and taxpayer dollars by helping agencies investigate dangerous situations safely and quickly, by helping first-responders make informed decisions from a safe distance. For example, a PatrolBot can be used to detect chemicals and drug labs, or be used as a two-way means of communication during a hostage situation. These robots map floor plans and track their positions within a MobileRobots software program. They can be set up to use audio, video, temperature or motion sensors, delivery trays, access control (i.e. card readers), or iris scanners, all integrated into a single control interface.

“Our robots are able to go into places where it’s not safe to send a human, and to do jobs that reduce the military manpower needed at home,” said Jeanne Dietsch, CEO and co-founder of MobileRobots Inc. “Our country’s military is stretched thin overseas; mobile robots can do the tasks ‘behind the soldier’.”

PatrolBot is able to map a building, and then travel, while outfitted with sensors, around that building, for example: detecting trace elements of anthrax in an environment. PatrolBot reports findings back to clients such as the U.S. Air Force and the New York City Department of Health. PatrolBot can recognize location and movement, scope perimeters of buildings, monitor for hazardous chemicals including radiation and radon, and quickly report information back to a central control.

MapperBot creates as-built floor plans, a feature used by Homeland Security, among other U.S. defense agencies. PatrolBot acts as a night watchman for commercial spaces like hospitals and warehouses. MapperBot and PatrolBot work together as a team. MapperBot creates its 2D maps using PatrolBot’s data and findings. MapperBot is designed primarily for mapping; the more rugged, heavier PatrolBot can map as well, but also handles patrols and delivery around a facility.

“Finally, the domestic military have a way to gather, view, and visualize spaces accurately and safely,” said Ben Yetman of Penobscot Bay Media, LLC of Camden, ME.

Penobscot Bay Media’s (PenBay) Spatial Robotic Solutions business unit focuses on developing cutting edge solutions where GIS technology and the robotics world intersect. PenBay uses MobileRobots’ platforms to capture geospatial data and consume it within complex robotic sensor systems. The company uses MapperBot to capture high-resolution floor plans of interior spaces in a fraction of the time of traditional methods.

Yetman adds, “Our robots can be autonomously deployed within a space to carry out a number of mission types. Integrating various sensors with the robot creates a mobile field agent capable of transmitting sensor information in real time as it navigates the space unmanned.”

During the November, 2001 anthrax scare within the US Senate Office building in Washington, soldiers were first tasked with creating floor plans of the building, which meant donning full hazardous material suits in 110-degree temperatures, with no air conditioning. The suits were so cumbersome, the soldiers couldn’t write notes while wearing them; instead, the soldiers were forced to radio measurements and details of the building to surveyors sitting outside the building. Needless to say, soldiers were delighted to hear that PatrolBot could help perform the surveying tasks with accuracy, alleviating having to put people at risk.

The first step in an investigation such as entering a building with potentially hazmat or other dangerous situations is to map out the space. This is for several reasons: if there is an emergency, it allows the workers to enter the building quickly and locate other workers, and to exit quickly (knowing which is the fastest way out of a building). For planning cleanup and maintenance, a map of a large building will help people assign sections and describe where a problem is more precisely. Mapping with the robot can take place faster than with human’s surveying, so the team can more quickly be ready to enter a building and feel more prepared about where to go. A robot will also be able to “see” and “report” objects that might not show up on a building plan (i.e. things that may have fallen), and send video images back to the team outside.

“Earlier this year, when the New York Post Office had a radiation scare, six emergency responder agencies responded, but no reliable data came out of the effort,” Yetman said. “Radiation detectors simply reported that radiation levels had reached a certain basal amount at some point in time. The robots reported precisely where the radiation levels were highest and when, and hence, where the radiation emanated from. This is far more helpful information.”

Government offices, military installations and Fortune 500 companies make up a sterling list of Mobile Robots clients. Hewlett-Packard, NASA, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Pfizer Global, Intel Corporation, and British Aerospace are among them. PatrolBots are currently creating floor plans for Langley Air Force Base in Norfolk, VA, mapping approximately 5 million square feet of building space down to 2-tenths-of-an-inch accuracy. Mobile robots are able to map one of Langley’s large buildings in less than two hours, as compared to more than 40 hours using human labor.

“MobileRobots Inc has spent years refining these robots to possess unbelievable accuracy. They capture everything they see,” said Yetman. “Mobile robots are the most effective first responders.”    

In addition to security and surveillance, MobileRobots’ machines aid in research, delivery, building safety and operations, building measurement, and educational research.

About MobileRobots Inc:

Founded in 1995, MobileRobots Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of intelligent mobile bases, sensing systems, and software. Thousands of MobileRobots’ platforms are used on six continents by leading organizations around the world. The company’s research, development and assembly operations are based in Amherst, NH. www.MobileRobots.com.

Media contact:
Katherine Sandoz
Phone: 603-881-7960 ext. 108

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