In these tumultuous times, it’s good to know that our men and women of science are trying to come up with outside-the-box solutions to keep our youths safe from gun violence. While a robot that knows what a gun is isn’t the first solution I would’ve thought of, it is no less a promising one, not to mention another interesting step in the field of robotics in general.
Chicago-based machinery company Intellitronix has developed a prototype robot to showcase its first forays into the field, codenamed “Promobot” (you can just call him Herbie, though). The company’s CEO Paul Spivak originally just wanted to build a robot for the sake of building a robot (a good reason if ever there was one), and spent five years developing Herbie with his team.
Herbie’s original function was to be a sort of robotic teacher, receiving requests for various subject matters and giving quick explanations on them. He still does that, but recently, Spivak added a new feature, specifically to Herbie’s camera software: the ability to recognize firearms. When a recognizable firearm (pistol, rifle, etc.) enters Herbie’s field of view, he sounds an alarm and immediately sends a text to the nearest police station warning about the potential danger.
Spivak hopes that in the future, Herbie and his fellow machines could be installed in schools as both educators and protectors. For now, Herbie is the only finished member of his line, and if you’re interested, you can license him out for brief appearances.
