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The Brazilian government has signed a $7.2 million deal with iRobot to deploy 30 robots to help police the 2014 World Cup this summer.
The remote-control military ‘PackBots’ will be placed throughout Brazil’s 12 host cities during football matches to aid security and examine suspicious objects, reports Robohub.
We’re not sure how effective they will be at dealing with rowdy football hooligans, but the PackBots can travel at up to nine miles per hour, rotate 360 degrees and climb up to 60 degree slopes, as well as survive submersion in water two metres deep. They weigh less than 40lbs.
PackBots also include GPS, an electronic compass, temperature sensors and they are powered by an integrated Pentium-based computer.
They’ve been used in various zones of conflict in the past, including Afghanistan in 2002 to help soldiers cross minefields and clear bunkers and caves, as well as Iraq in 2003.
PackBots have also been used to enter the Fukushima nuclear plant following the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Whether they can deal with fired up football fans is another matter.
