Real-Life 'Robocops' Saving Lives

July 9, 2007 — -- Real-life "robocops" are becoming a popular new crime-fighting tool at law enforcement agencies around the country, doing dangerous work that can save cops' lives.

Although they may not be as lifelike as the Hollywood version, robots are being used increasingly by bomb squads and SWAT teams in the United States.

"I can always replace a robot. I can't replace one of my guys," Tucson Police Department bomb squad Cmdr. Ardan Devine told ABC News.

The Tucson Police Department bought its first robot from the FBI in 1992, Devine said. The robot — a model known as a Mark V, as in 5, made by the company Remotec, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp. — was later sold to another police department, but today the Tucson department has three robots.

Tim Szymanski, a public information officer for the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, said his department started using a Remotec robot approximately five years ago and called it a member of the bomb squad. He declined to name the specific model but said it was comparable to the model the Las Vegas Police Department had, Remotec's Mark V-A1.

All robots are equipped with cameras that feed back to officials on the scene so they can remotely assess the severity of a situation, Northrop Grumman spokesman Paul Cabellon told ABC News. Remotec's robots can also climb stairs and pick up objects and put them into safe containers.

Devine said one of his bomb squad's robots had been deployed during a bank robbery and had up-close contact with the suspect, who had his mouth taped shut and had handed the teller a note saying he had a bomb in his mouth.

After police had handcuffed the suspect to a railing, the robot removed the tape from the suspect's lips, at which time he spit out the objects in his mouth. The robot then placed them in a blast-resistant container so they could be safely removed, Devine said.

Although the objects in the suspect's mouth turned out to be completely harmless, Devine said he was glad he avoided using one of his officers.