Imagine leaving your home and being confident that it's secure. Forgetting to turn the alarm system on may not cause as much worry when you have a one foot guard patrolling your house. This is the case for programmer, Robert Oschler. If he ever gets concerned that there may be an intruder, he can view his home from his laptop through the use of a surveillance robot. Surveillance robots can simply be toy robots that are altered to fit each owner’s needs. Oschler’s particular robot, the Rovio, has been equipped with a camera, a microphone, and speakers. As long as there is Net connection, he can send the robot around the house, returning video signal back to his laptop along the way.[1] But, can this inexpensive security system really get the job done?
Oschler installed a speaker system to his robot, so that if there were ever someone entering his home, he would be able to talk to them over the speaker system, warning them to leave or that he will call the police. Costing less than two hundred dollars, after a simple computer installation, the surveillance robot was ready to explore. The programmer has even added enhancements, such as creating routine paths around his home for the robots to follow. Creatively, Oschler wired his robot to a headset that will pick up subtle electrical activity produced by his brain, so that if he turns his head left or right, the robot will move in that direction.[2]
These modified “guard-bots” are also being seen in other countries. In China, a hobbyist added small fire extinguishers to his robot and software that can detect the shape of a fire[3], so that if one were to ever begin, it could try to keep it under control until the fire department arrived. Others have added special lights so that the robots can patrol homes and offices at night. A software program, Vitamin D, allows you to watch your office with the use of the toy robots and will beep whenever someone walks in.
Unfortunately, these guard-bots have physical limits. Robots that aren’t able to fly, can’t go up and down stairs, which hinders them from surveying two or three story homes. In cases like these, additional robots would be necessary, one for each floor. Also, if the robot hits a bump, it can tip over and become immobile. Wheel treads can become uncalibrated and the robot will then curve to one side. Until all of these kinks are worked out, the flaws of guard-bots make them less effective compared to traditional home security systems. However, toy makers are successfully matching both the technology and flexibility of the computer industry. Many people have found that for home experimentation purposes, the reliability of these inexpensive toy robots is adequate.[4]
It would be unrealistic to say that toy robots like the Erector Spykee or the Rovio will soon replace home security systems, but maybe in the future, this less expensive option will become more appealing and widespread. At this point in time, when it comes to surveillance for large corporations, robots around the office won’t do the trick. Traditional security systems seem to be more convenient. Years down the road, however, enhancements will be made so that these guard-bots will be able to be used extensively. Through the use of these toys, costs are being cut and homeowners and offices are saving thousands of dollars. I never would have thought that stores like Toys R Us would be able to aid and possibly change the face of security systems.
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/technology/personaltech/04basics.html?src=me&ref=technology
No comments:
Post a Comment