SCORP: Small Portable Reconnaissance Robot

Novatiq, a privately owned Swiss company, will be launching its first product, SCORP, an ultra compact tactical reconnaissance robot that weighs only 3kg (6.61 lbs), offers super-rapid battery charging system (10-20 minutes), and costs less than 10,000 Euros, which is a great price in this category.

Being a “low-cost” waterproof and dust-proof robot does not mean that SCORP falls short on features, on the contrary, this smart little device is packed with high-end capabilities that have been thoroughly designed by the Novatiq team during the 15 months of R&D. The replaceable super fast charging battery being one of the most demanded characteristic that is not available in competing products, such as the RECON Scout XT or the iRobot 210 Negotiator .

Vision and Navigation

On the vision side, the SCORP boasts day/night panoramic night vision thanks to its 4 cameras, and an optional long-range 27X optical zoom camera can be added. In addition to live video streaming, it offers video recording (with a security solution), a feature that is not available at low-cost in other competing solutions, according to Jean-Charles Monnin, Managing Director, Novatiq.

A navigation module that allows the SCORP to perform an autonomous indoor reconnaissance can be embedded to rapidly create the building’s floor plan on the controller screen.

Battery Life

The user can choose to display all cameras’ feeds or just one on the controller, the battery autonomy with all cameras streaming is 2h, and can be extended to 3 hours maximum. An optional external battery can be added to double the autonomy.

Communications

The remote control communicates with the SCORP via radio frequency with a 500 meters range, an optional accessory provides 1 kilometer range. In case squad bomb teams need to jam signals while operating, an optional 250 meters fiber-optic cable can be used instead. According to Novatiq, the controller has been designed to be user friendly and ultra portable.

Accessories

The robot has been designed to be modular, a wide array of accessories can be added depending on needs:  robotic arm, biochemical detector, thermal imaging, long range transmission, pan/tilt camera with zoom, flash or smoke grenade detonator etc.

Pricing and availability

The SCORP will be available mid November for an undisclosed price (under 10,000 Euros), the website is still under construction, it is expected to be online end of October.

Eliane Fiolet
Categories: Breaking, Robots
Tags: Robot