Cisco Develops Mobile Robots for Wireless Nets

coondoggie writes "Cisco has developed a set of small smart robots, which can act as wireless communications relays, that sense when a mobile user is moving out of service range, and can follow the user to maintain connectivity. According to Dave Buster, product marketing manager for the Cisco Global Government Solutions Group, the robots can follow a user almost anywhere to maintain connectivity. Published reports said the robots were part of Cisco's "Information on the move" initiative — a wide ranging plan to secure all things wireless. Whether or not the systems has an enterprise application, it is of interest to the military and initiatives such as the Army's Future Combat Systems which uses a variety of advanced systems to achieve battleground superiority."

Brilliant!

So now when I stalk my ex, I need only disguise myself as a mobile coverage extender robot.

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EX? You mean that cute girl in Gamestop that kind of smiled at you once?

Umm,

When do I get my own robot?

How about some privacy?

I don't like the idea of cellular companies tracking my movement.

Re:How about some privacy?

I don't like the idea of cellular companies tracking my movement.

In this case, you might want to avoid cell phones altogether, because a cell phone can be located using triangulation [al911.org].

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>I don't like the idea of cellular companies tracking ...

It's hard for them not to - turn your phone on, it hits the closest tower and they know where you are. Move around, you jump from tower to tower and they still know where you are.

Ok, here's the new sequence.

1)Develop mobile robotic access point.

2)Combine with a Roomba [irobot.com].

3)Profit!!!

Get the darn thing to do some usefull work while you surf the web.

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A robot that cleans and delivers porn? Since when are we trying to replace the other sex with a robot?

Re:Ok, here's the new sequence.

A robot that cleans and delivers porn? Since when are we trying to replace the other sex with a robot?

You must be new here.

One step forward

This is a neat step forward, but really only experimentally viable.

The real advacement will be when they can implement their mesh technology with a swam of airborne drones, which automatically place themselves for optimal coverage of a specified area based

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And how exactly would skeins of hoverbots improve the quality of life for humankind?

Intended for the military?

it is of interest to the military and initiatives such as the Army's Future Combat Systems which uses a variety of advanced systems to achieve battleground superiority. A wireless robot such as this could play a part in the communications of those systems, experts say.

Hard to imagine the military going for a cheap hack like Wifi when they have the resources for a proper satellite comms system. And this roving relay thing just looks like a cheap toy to me. Maybe OK for shopping centres but not the sort of thing you want to waste your time digging out of sand dunes in Iraq.

Take out the wifi bit and you are left with an autonomous rover/UAV which is interesting but not really ciscos job. Looks like a bad fit to me.

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Satcoms is high latency and expensive. If you can link everyone to the local mesh with their own coveragebot then it's a big improvement for local comms

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Satellite has obvious problems... relatively long delays and saturated bandwidth. If these things are cheap to produce then every company can have a couple UAVs with them to deploy when doing recon which will allow them to stay in touch with their camp and

Even for Mil use, sat-comm is scarce and rare

Satellite bandwidth is scarce. Only really high priority users or missions are going to get an allocated satellite freq. More common are local-unit radio networks. Think of a tank squadron (battalion). They have separate troops (companies) maneuvering over

Steps?

"the robots can follow a user almost anywhere to maintain connectivity" But can they follow you up a step? More important, will they stop if you go down a flight of steps. ... I don't even want to think about being followed into the bathroom to maintain m

Spyware?

Am I the only one who sees "Homeland Security" written all over a lot of inventions lately?

beats using people

My grandfather was in WWII, and he had to run phone lines/communications out onto the battlefield and back... using a robot is way less life-threatening!

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IIRC, he said he ran out there for the comm's, and then ran back as in "away from the line of fire"!

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Kudos to your grandad - the guys who ran the comms wires were second only to senior officers on the sniper's priority list.

Not surprised he ran - you wouldn't get me anywhere near a job like that.

Dave?

Where are you going Dave? Dave? You're moving out of range Dave. I'm following you Dave. Dave, I'm concerned that you continue to move out of range. Here, let me help you stop moving by BREAKING YOUR FUCKING LEGS. There, now you're in range again Dave. Good Dave.

Why use robots?

Just strap a wifi relay to Ceiling Cat.

Military Interest?

...it is of interest to the military and initiatives such as the Army's Future Combat Systems which uses a variety of advanced systems to achieve battleground superiority...

I fully realize that communication up the line, is just as important as coming home

Story may be bogus. Looks like blog spam.

This is another traffic-building blog spam. It's from another blog. [pennnet.com] None of these "articles" have a link to anything that looks like a real source, or a picture. No Cisco press release mentions this. But all these blogs have plenty of ads.

I think thi

Prevent "All circuits are busy" from Cell company

How about a cell company having a drone circle a major metro area during major sporting events or along a highway during a hurricane evacuation. As the mob of people move to or from the center or along a highway, the drone could calculate where it was need