Border-Patrolling Robots Combat Drug Smugglers Elizabeth Montalbano - DesignNews
go to original March 7, 2014

The U.S. Border Patrol is unveiling its latest technology in the underground war - a wireless, camera-equipped robot that can do the job of a human agent in a fraction of the time. (AssociatedPress)

One of the promises of using robots is that they can perform tasks or jobs that are dangerous or even impossible for humans. A fine example of this is the recent deployment by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of remote-controlled robots to explore tunnels at the US-Mexico border that are being used to smuggle contraband and immigrants.

Applied Research Associates has delivered several of its Pointman Tactical Robots to the CBP in Tucson, which the agency is using to explore drainage tunnels that run between Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Mexico. These tunnels are out of sight from border surveillance and are increasingly being used for illegal activity.

“With the significant improvement in border security above ground, criminal organizations in Mexico have increasingly turned to tunnels to transport drugs, weapons, people, and other illegal materials,” Shevannah Wray, public affairs officer from the Tucson Sector Border Patrol, told Design News in an email. “By mitigating tunnels, the border patrol continues to effectively disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations and their illegal activities. This new robot technology will assist us in this mission.”

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