Why pay to design and mass-produce a four-wheeled autonomous security robot, when you can make a less costly one with just one wheel? That's the thinking behind the 1Rollo, a monowheel-bot that could soon be patrolling near you.
Currently in functional prototype form, the 1Rollo is being developed by Estonian startup Rollo Robotics.
The basic idea is that the AI-enabled robot will roll around its user's property, utilizing both a 360-degree computer vision system and RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) GNSS positioning to autonomously following a predefined map. As it does so, it will use cameras and other sensors both to detect and avoid obstacles, and to "detect anomalies."
Should it spot anything fishy, the robot will immediately transmit an alert to a human overseer via 4G/5G or Wi-Fi. That person can then dispatch an actual security guard if needed, although it will also be possible to remotely communicate with people onsite via a built-in speaker and microphone.
Utilizing a cloud-based platform, overseers should be able to remotely monitor whole fleets of 1Rollos simultaneously.
In order to maintain its balance, the robot is equipped with an internal vertically oriented spinning flywheel, that sits inline with its main wheel. Turning left or right is accomplished by tilting that flywheel to either side accordingly. The robot has a top speed of 30 km/h (19 mph) and is claimed to be good for up to eight hours of runtime per battery-charge.
Rollo Robotics hopes to make the 1Rollo commercially available sometime next year.
"Rollo will be offered through a Robotics-as-a-Service model, allowing customers to subscribe to the service rather than purchase the hardware," CEO and co-founder Sander Sebastian Agur tells us. "Our goal is to provide autonomous security patrols at a significantly lower operating cost than traditional security solutions, whether that's human guards alone or a combination of guards and patrol vehicles. The subscription model also ensures customers always have access to the latest hardware, software, and support without the upfront capital investment."
Source: Rollo Robotics
