By Jerad Godsave–
A tech inventor says his device could help lower crimes in and around campus. ROBOCOPP CEO Sam Manson became concerned for his sister’s safety when she went to college. The result: the ROBOCOPP device.
The device is a light blue piece of plastic on a string, with an analog robot sketched on the front – but it’s structured like an electronic grenade. If you pull its head off, it screams loudly. The “sound grenade” can emit an ear-piercing 120-decibel alarm to act as a non-violent deterrent.
“The analysis of many studies depicts alarms as having an underlying psychological and physiological impact to the criminal,” Jill Turner, a ROBOCOPP public relations assistant, said.
The device is being used by students at over 100 campuses. More than 50 U of L students are using the sound grenade.
According to Louisville Metro Police’s 2016 crime report, theft accounts for 13 percent of the total crime committed within campus. The number jumps to 25 percent of all crime in the area when assault is added. In Sept. 2012, U of L was ranked as the ninth most crime-rattled campus in the country.
The ROBOCOPP sound grenade could provide a possible solution to the bounce in crime that U of L has witnessed in the past few months. With initiatives such as the blue lights system and the ‘L-trail’ receiving their fair share of criticism, students and faculty are adamant to decrease the amounts of assaults and theft on campus.
Photo courtesy / Robocopp.com
