The Henderson SWAT team demonstrated the functioning of the tactical robot to fifth-graders, as part of the gifted and talented education (GATE) program. The students were amazed at the capabilities of the robot. The robot demonstration was part of the robotic study for the school students.
Students from the GATE program at Wolff Elementary School check out the Henderson SWAT team's new tactical robot on Thursday. The students are learning about robots and building their own in class.
The tactical robot is called Andros Mark 5 and was developed with the funds granted by the U.S Department of Justice. After the robot was delivered, the SWAT team conducted a two month training and has tested its performance once in the field after the training. The robot weighs 800 lbs and is capable of opening doors, break windows, climb stairs, look through walls and talk as well. Lt. Marc Cassel was of the opinion that the robot was helpful to the police department in conducting their operations in a safe manner.
The Andros Mark 5 robot has worked on a mission to save a woman who fired shots at her apartment. The robot was sent in place of an officer to the woman’s apartment. As soon as she opened the door she pointed the gun at the robot, thus saving the life of an officer who could have got shot in case the woman opened fire.
The students have built their own life saving robots with the help of kits like the Lego Mindstorm NXT and have programmed them to execute simple movements. One of the teachers in the GATE program was impressed with the student’s effort in building robots.