One upon a time, the benevolent future was supposed to bemuse with hoverboards, flying cars and interplanetary travel. Instead, according to the folks at Slovakia's Bozena Riot Security Systems, the dystopian future has arrived, and it is made of armored plates and riot gear.
The Bozena Riot can handle virtually any duty when authorities need to put down an uprising: it is a remotely operated, armored vehicle designed to deal with riots and mobs in the streets and urbanized areas. The system offers a solution for both protecting the law-enforcement units in action and controlling the situation whenever peace maintenance is required.
The truck right out of RoboCop's OCP Detroit, has three components: a carrier, a 3000 kg adjustable shield, and a water trailer. Two water cannons can send protesters flying from the front or the rear and if that doesn’t do the trick, police can always rely on the "high-pressure tear gas gun" to disperse any riot.
As Gizmodo points out, the unmanned unit is covered in CCTV cameras assuring full video coverage, while the driver gets to enjoy inner-city riots from a comfortable safe distance courtesy of this virtual cockpit which puts all control options at one’s fingertips:
The truck's shield has six launching ports to fire guns or other rubber projectile launchers while keeping the heavily fortified shooters safe. Furthermore, should the truck's riot police passengers get stuck in an alleyway, the shield has bulldozing capabilities allowing authorities to directly engage with social discontents.
To be sure, the topic of police militarization in the US has been a particularly sensitive one in recent years, so perhaps the country will avoid this tool to quickly and efficiently restore post-riot order. Probably not: as Gizmodo notes, "the combination of an increase in law enforcement spending and Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ pledge to stop monitoring out-of-control police departments seems to set up just the right environment to make it happen."
In any case, no matter on which side of the ideological divide one stands, and whether one roots for the authorities or the rioters who may soon suffer the wrath of the Bozena Riot, there are plenty reasons for everyone to be both delighted and concerned.
The video below courtesy of Bozena shows the prototype in action.
For those who enjoy details, or are considering the purchase of one of these robotrucks for their own private neighborhood watch, below is the Bozena Riot's client brochure: