Robot air and ground systems could play major traffic-management roles, according to participants in last week’s Ministry of Defence Grand Challenge on Salisbury Plain.
Staged to make troops safer in urban combat, it has sparked thinking on civilian applications for new detection and surveillance technologies.
London-based Swarm Systems won a GC ‘most innovative’ award for its ‘Owl’ micro air vehicles (MAVs), which it foresees swooping over controlled parking zones to detect overstays, replacing civil enforcement officers.
Middlesex University has been approached by the Metropolitan Police for an MAV which could hover over incidents and relay data.
Automotive research consultancy MIRA’s ground robots are also trialling terrain-responsive dual-fuel systems which could make local authority vehicle fleets more economic.
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