Makati City will soon be the first local government in the Philippines to have its very own mechanical robot that can detect, examine, transport, defuse and even detonate a bomb.
Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) engineering professors and students, in a team up with the local police force, are in the final stages of completing Project MAC – an attempt to create the first counter-terrorist machine in the country.
The robot, made of locally available aluminum, fiberglass, and engineering plastic, will be put to the test on Saturday to determine if it can finally be presented and introduced to the public.
Makati City Police chief Superintendent Gilbert Cruz told The Star that Mapua’s brightest minds – headed by engineer John Judilla – had been working on MAC, which stands for Mechanical Anti-terrorist Concept, for the past months.
“With a robot of this kind, we will be able to keep our policemen out of harm’s way each time they respond to a bomb emergency,” he said. “Instead of humans, the robot will be the one to approach suspicious packages.”
Cruz said MAC can be controlled either by wires or remote control, depending on the situation at hand.
Based on its current features, the person controlling the machine will be able to see through the robot’s eyes, and from different angles, through three video cameras. One camera has night-vision capability.
Cruz said MAC, which stands three feet tall, also has the ability to test air toxicity levels in case of a chemical explosion to determine whether or not it is safe to approach a blast site or location.
“MAC can come close, examine, and disrupt because he has hands or grippers that can lift and detonate. We will present him to the world soon after he is perfected,” he said.
Cruz noted that MAC, which runs on motorcycle batteries, was assembled using locally available materials. “He will be the first in Philippines,” he said.
Cruz said being able to conceptualize and actually bring to life an invention such as MAC can be considered a milestone similar to that achieved by De La Salle University students who created Sinag, the first solar-powered vehicle in the Philippines.
Since Makati City receives an average of one bomb threat weekly, Cruz said MAC will be the Makati City police’s humble contribution to the continuing fight against terrorism.