FIFA World Cup 2014 In Brazil To Be Secured By....Robots? Hosts To Use Advanced Machines For Security In World's Biggest Football Event

Works for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil are still ongoing, a slow progress that disappointed the world's football governing body. By this time, FIFA expects that the hosts would have been 80 to 90 percent ready for the event which will take place from from 12 June to 13 July 2014. Delay in the construction of several stadium is what worries FIFA officials. Still, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke is upbeat that Brazil will be able to pull off a good hosting job.

While stadiums are yet to be finished, one aspect, and probably the most important of all, is seems to be all set. The Brazilian government have made all the necessary preparations to instill high level security in the world's biggest soccer event. The South American country doesn't only add more security personnel, they also level up their technology when it comes to national security by buying special robots.

The International Business Times reported that Packbots will be safeguarding 12 host cities for the FIFA World Cup with the help of 30 military-grade PackBots. These robots will track/monitor suspicious movements inside and outside of the stadiums.

IBTimes wrote:

Brazil has secured a $7.2m (£4.3m, €5.25m) deal with iRobot, a US-based company that makes domestic robots for consumers, as well as defence and security robots for the military.

 

Bearing a passing resemblance to Short Circuit's Johnny Five, the PackBot is one of the most successful battle-tested robots in the world.

 

Weighing just under 18kg, the remote-controlled robot fits in a backpack and comes with built-in flippers that rotate 360 degrees, so that the robot can climb stairs and rough terrain including rubble, rocks and logs.

Brazil will not be the first country to use such technology. On the same report, IBTimes said that Packbot was first used by Afghanistan "in 2002 to help soldiers clear caves, collapsed buildings and bunkers, as well as to cross minefields."

Tags
FIFA
FIFA World Cup
Brazil
World Cup 2014
security
Stadiums
iRobots
Packbots
football

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