[July 22, 2011] Robot adds new dimension to Bibb deputies' marksmanship training Tweet Jul 22, 2011 (The Macon Telegraph - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For years, Bibb County sheriff's deputies have honed their marksmanship by firing rounds of bullets at stationary targets. But the paper targets don't move like a real person -- or shoot back. "We needed a real-life situation," Capt. Harry Colbert said. Now, with the help of the MT-74 Ranger Mobile Tactical Target System, members of the department's SWAT team are training in situations more like the heated ones they can face in real life. Deputies affectionately dubbed the high-tech, all-terrain training tool "Mobot" as a tribute to Sheriff Jerry Modena. Mobot is mounted on a wheeled platform and moves around at the department's firearms training range using a remote control, much like the kind used for toy cars or airplanes. Deputies shoot live rounds while training with Mobot, which can be mounted with either a mannequin or a paper target at a human's height. One recent morning, Colbert used the remote control to move Mobot in a zig-zag pattern from side to side as it moved quickly toward Chief Deputy David Davis. Davis fired shots at a target on top of Mobot that depicted a man with a knife. "It goes back and forward like a real person would," said investigator Robbie Allen, a deputy who has already trained using the device. Mobot has a 1,000-foot range and the ability to climb hills. It can move as fast as 15 mph. Besides moving like a person, the robot also can shoot paint balls at deputies. The possibility of getting shot helps ratchet up the pressure that deputies feel while they're training. "It gets your (stress) level up like in real life," Allen said. Additional accessories are available that would allow deputies to launch bean bags and rubber bullets using Mobot. For crime-fighting purposes, cameras and listening devices can be mounted onto Mobot for unmanned surveillance missions. It can also be equipped to carry pepper spray or tear gas. "This thing has some versatility to it," Davis said. "And it can help keep a deputy from potentially getting hurt." Davis said the robot was purchased for $7,800 using capital funds. It's been in use about three months. While training with Mobot is limited to the sheriff's office SWAT team for now, other deputies will use it for training in the future. The sheriff's office also plans to use Mobot in joint training exercises with the Macon and Bibb County school system police departments. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398. To see more of The Macon Telegraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.macon.com Copyright (c) 2011, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]