Army surveillance bot approved for use by police, firemen

By Matthew Lasar  
ARS Technica 

You can send it into buildings where hostages are being held, then move it from room to room as it transmits video via its miniature camera. Sleek and unobtrusive, the gadget can slip under furniture and roll down stairs. Only eight inches long and 1.2 pounds, it can be tossed through windows or onto burning roofs without sustaining damage.

Used in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years now, the Recon Scout Throwbot could be of great use to domestic police and fire departments, but there's one thing the little machine can't do—apply for a spectrum use waiver from the Federal Communications Commission. Without that waiver, the bot can't transmit its live video feed.

Thanks to the law firm of Fletcher, Heald, and Hildreth, however, bot maker Recon Robotics has just obtained such a waiver and may now bring the Throwbot to local law enforcement.
"Typical applications will include checking a building prior to forced entry; searching vehicle undercarriages for explosives; locating hostages, hostiles, officers, and bystanders before a rescue attempt; and searching for survivors in a burning building," the FCC noted in the waiver of various portions of its Part 90 private land and mobile radio service rules. "The Recon Scout is used overseas by the US armed forces, and is credited with saving lives."

But the approval has created controversy, pitting law enforcement groups against amateur radio operators who might operate in the same spectrum.

The Recon Scout Throwbot - Please let us save ourselves

The permit was needed to allow the Throwbot to broadcast video data in the 430-448MHz zone of the 420-450MHz band. That spectrum goes primarily to the Federal Radiolocation service (radar), then secondarily to amateur services. Potential interference with those uses is the issue here.

As you might suspect, quite a number of police agencies sent comments to the FCC asking the Commission to approve the device. Here is an excerpt from the Ludlow, Illinois police department's missive to the FCC:

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