Intelligent and versatile; adaptable to ever-changing situations during life-threatening missions; rugged and durable: An optimal law enforcer.
Meet the 7-inch tall, 24-pound 510 PackBot (above) — one of the most successful battle-tested robots in the word, according to its manufacturer, iRobot.
The Bedford-based technology corporation, which “designs robots that make a difference in people’s lives,” is one of the companies being featured at the inaugural Police Innovation Conference at Microsoft New England in Cambridge.
The two-day conference began Monday, Sept. 16, and will wrap up Tuesday, Sept. 17. During this time, police departments from Cambridge, Boston, and across the country will get a first-hand look at how tech companies plan on melding the latest industry advancements with law enforcement.
“It was an excellent conference,” said Tom Phelps, director of Robotics Products North America at iRobot, during a phone conversation with BostInno.
Phelps spoke at the first day of the the conference, an event that features not only robotics, but technology such as 3-D printing, Google Glass and social media companies targeting law enforcement.
Event organizer, WiredBlue — a startup company founded north of Boston — created a MyPD app that allows iPhone and Android users to connect with local police departments on Facebook and Twitter.
According to a Boston Herald report, Mutualink, a Westford company that creates a secure method of interagency communication that is private for both parties, featured a product designed for Google Glass, which may be used for tactical awareness by first responders.
“I thought it was a good mix,” said Phelps, regarding the different tech companies at the event. “There are lessons that can be learned from both a robotics and technology standpoint.”
With numerous relevant tech companies based in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, Cambridge was a logical location for the conference. The Boston area is a “hotbed of innovation,” said Phelps, who mentioned the talent born from MIT and other area colleges and universities.
Cambridge and Boston are also all too familiar with advanced law enforcement technology. A Boston magazine report about the conference noted that months before being called the “robot hub” by Bloomberg TV, police involved in the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev manhunt utilized QinetiQ tactical machines to defuse crime scenes believed to involve explosives, before officers were sent in; machines similar to the iRobot 510 PackBot.
Phelps acknowledged that the choice to hold the inaugural conference in Cambridge was “likely just a coincidence.” Still, products such as iRobot’s have proven useful not only in battle, but in large cities.
The PackBot 510, for example, is a product that can be used to address IEDs, chemical spills, emergency response situations, and search and rescue operations, among others.
The PackBot’s adaptability is apart of a philosophy, Phelps notes, aimed at making law enforcement robots more versatile.
Phelps could not comment specifically about the direction and application of future law enforcement technology, but did mention iRobot’s 110 FirstLook — a throwable robot that can be used by bomb squads and tactical units.
“(The 110 FirstLook) can serve as a unit’s eyes and ears,” in situations involving a suspect that may be armed and out of sight from first responders, and when an area may be booby-trapped.
In addition to the 510 PackBot and the 110 FirstLook — weighing about 5 pounds — there are also larger robots over 250 pounds.
“This mix of weight classes addresses multiple missions,” said Phelps.
“God forbid” another dangerous situation occurs in a major city, said Phelps, the latest technology like that featured at the Police Innovation Conference could help save lives.
Photo via iRobot
