Skip to main content

Students build SWAT robot for Macon County Sheriff’s Office

2017-03-23
Jim Falbo (Center), SCC’s mechatronics instructor, kneels in front of the case that holds the SWAT robot that was built for the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. Also pictured are second-year mechatronics engineering students Dakoda Hall of Bryson City (left) and Sergei Gubarev of Franklin (right).
Pictured is the SWAT robot that was built by SCC’s mechatronics engineering students and program coordinator and instructor Jim Falbo for the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.

Students in Southwestern Community College’s mechatronics engineering program have created a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) robot for the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. The students’ creation is not only designed to resolve dangerous situations and reduce damage to property, but it could even save a life.

Designed to enter dangerous environments such as hostage situations, SWAT robots relay information through cameras and microphones to law enforcement officials about what is going on inside the building before they enter.

“I am so proud of these students and all of their hard work on this project,” said Jim Falbo, SCC’s mechatronics instructor. “I have been doing this (mechatronics) a long time, and I’ve even learned new things while building this robot.”

Falbo and the students began building the robot last summer. After approximately 100 hours of work, the SWAT robot, was recently completed according to law enforcement specifications gathered from a survey.

“We constructed our prototypes out of cardboard so we could easily see where and how parts needed to be modified,” said Dakoda Hall, a second-year mechatronics engineering student from Bryson City.

The robot is operated by a controller with an attached screen that can show in real-time what the robot records on its camera.

It also has a microphone, alarm (which has settings so it cannot accidentally go off), and headlights so it can record in the dark.

“The SWAT robot is very cost-effective,” said Falbo. “These robots that you see on the news cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to make. The one we built cost just under $4,000 and comes with a life-time of repairs from SCC’s mechatronics program.”

The robot and its controller are battery-operated and are re-charged by being put back in the case and plugged into a wall outlet.

The case is light enough that it can be picked up and put in the back seat of a law enforcement car.

The battery life lasts around two hours when the robot is operating and moving, but the robot can be stationary and record for up to eight hours.

While the robot cannot go up and down stairs, it can easily be picked up and set where it needs to be and go 300 – 400 feet away from the controller.

“We have also set up a system for start-up, shut-down and general operation of the robot,” said Franklin resident Sergei Gubarev, also a second-year mechatronics engineering technology student.

Other mechatronics students that were involved in building the robot include: Tyler Wolf, Cody Epps, Cody Cloer, Cameron Kuhn, Chace Morgan and Ben Mills.

The robot features “claws” that are designed to carry a bag phone to and from law enforcement officials so they can communicate. The robot can grab onto the straps of the bag and then-upon prompting from the controller-release the straps.

“The Macon County Sheriff’s Office is stoked to be getting this robot,” said Falbo. “We encourage any other law enforcement departments to reach out to us if they are interested in one of these robots. We would like to make this an annual project.”

For more information about the robot or the mechatronics engineering program, contact Falbo at j_falbo@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4299.

For help with the accessibility of this website, please use this form.