FIU Developing 'RoboCop' Of The Future

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Students at Florida International University's Discovery Lab are testing out what some are calling their version of RoboCop.

Their creation, the Telebot, combines telepresence and robotics which will allow disabled police and military personnel to serve as patrol officers.

The school said the prototype allows a disabled person to control the robot remotely, see everything the robot "sees" and interact with members of the public. The Telebot stands six feet tall and weighs about 75 pounds. It's controlled from a remote location.

"Our tele-presence robot, Telebot, is designed for high crowd density urban environments. It is particularly well suited for busy downtown areas, sporting events, parades, fairs, public events, parks and schools. Disabled veterans remotely control Telebots that provide HD-live video and audio and allow interacting with people," according a statement from the school.

The Telebot has three HD cameras which give the operator a 360 degree field of view complete with zoom and auto-focus functions. It also has perimeter sensors to warn about approaching objects and small "skirt" sensors and camera to keep an eye on people's toes.

It also has an auto pilot function for auto navigation in patrol areas.

The project began in 2012 when Jeremy Robins, a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves, donated $20,000 to the Discovery Lab to develop the idea.

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