At first glance, it reminds us of the drones from the movie Oblivion, and perhaps in a distant future they might share several features. But the robotic sphere GuardBot has a more immediate purpose: moving over land and sea to explore objects, study the battlefield, and, why not, deliver explosive packages to specific locations.
When imagining a robot, many people envision a humanoid form. That's a perfectly natural line of thought, but the truth is that robotics can adopt designs and variants that aren't at the top of our list. For example, more than one person was surprised by the robot that moves like a ball in the Star Wars VII trailer. Rumor has it that its existence is a request from Disney to put it in the famous McDonald's Happy Meal, though that would be another story. The point is that a robot doesn't need legs, wings, tracks, or wheels to do its job. In fact, its format could be a sphere that balances automatically. With that said, welcome to the GuardBot.
Design and Specifications
The GuardBot's propulsion system is based on pendulum motion, with advanced nine-axis stabilization, two integrated cameras, and the ability to climb terrain with a 30-degree inclination. Its amphibious design lets it switch from land to sea and vice versa in seconds. In water, its top speed is about 6.5 kilometers per hour, but once it has dry feet, that rises to 32 kilometers per hour. One of the best aspects is that its creators can change the robot's scale, producing it as small as ten centimeters in diameter or up to 2.7 meters if needed (the next prototype on the list will be 1.8 meters). The GuardBot took seven years to develop, combining efforts from GuardBot Inc., based in Stamford, and the United States Navy.
Development and Future
The GuardBot offers high levels of maneuverability compared to other robots, and can be equipped with precision sensors. In the most extreme cases, it can be loaded with explosives. We're not yet certain of its potential applications on the battlefield, but everything points to a secondary role, providing support to special forces. The future of the GuardBot speaks of autonomy, or something as simple as placing a finger on a map and having the robotic sphere interpret the order immediately. How long will we have to wait for that? Between eight and ten months.
Source: Defense One
