Many companies develop systems for border security. Some of these were recently showed in a Border Security Expo at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona, One system is the Pointman Tactical Robot (PTR). “You can throw it through windows and doors, it goes up stairs, it’s self-righting. We can mount 12-gauge shotguns on it, so we can weaponize it as well.”
The PTR, which costs between $23,000 and $35,000, was originally only available to the military, but is currently being used by the FBI and LAPD for reconnaissance missions where it could be dangerous for humans to enter.
Other inventions shown off at the expo included a license plate recognition system which would help police, but also ordinary businesses who want to catch people parking in unauthorized spaces; a video camera system that can be worn by law enforcement which can gather video and sound which could later be used in court; and ammunition rounds that flatten on impact in order to “obtain the proper amount of pain to enable target compliance.”
The Expo, which featured some 185 companies, gave both start-ups and established companies the chance to show off their inventions in an effort to pitch projects to federal agencies.
In addition to inventions, the expo also demonstrated that many of the systems and weapons systems that were used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are now becoming available to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
One example is the Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) software which gives law enforcement significant surveillance powers in urban or rural areas. PSIM makes it possible for several agencies to share information and make incident responses faster and more effective.
Defense Update is a media sponsor of Border Security Expo. The next edition the US/Canada Border Conference will take place in September 10-11, 2013 at the Cobo Center, Detroit, MI.
