Silicon Stalkings

For now, Jean-Claude Latombe's robots track other robots, but they may soon be stalking us. Latombe and his fellow computer scientists at Stanford have created "autonomous observers," wheeled robots that follow other robot "targets." The four-foot-tall cylindrical observer uses cameras and lasers to make a map of its surroundings, then scouts the area for a target robot. The observer shows its human guide what it sees as it follows its prey, as well as a map of the scene with a marker for the target. It moves around obstacles and can "think ahead" to keep the target in sight. For instance, if it's tracking a target along a wall and a corner comes up, it will move outward so it can see whether or not the target turns the corner. The military is interested in using the robots to help soldiers fight urban battles, but Latombe adds that the same ...