‘Bomb robot’ usage in Dallas underscores importance of mission-critical data, not just voice
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‘Bomb robot’ usage in Dallas underscores importance of mission-critical data, not just voice
Remember, the robot used in the Dallas situation was controlled remotely; this was not some autonomous killing robot, as is depicted at times in movies. This is a machine that executed a task at the order of a human.
But that element of human control is only as good as the connectivity to the robot. If the signal is lost, the robot likely will not attempt to execute its mission. If the signal is somehow intercepted by a hacker, the lethal-force robot could be rendered useless—or worse, it could be redirected to use its lethal-force capability against public safety or society, in general.
In other words, connectivity to such a robot needs to be very robust, capable of working in indoor environments; preferably, it would be resistant to jamming techniques. And, of course, it has to be extremely secure. Someone at the scene—or someone sitting in his pajamas in front of a computer screen in China, Russia or another country—should not be able to disrupt or redirect the orders that are supposed to be delivered wirelessly to a robot with a lethal-force or other mission important to a response effort.
This sort of reliability and security are expected to be key characteristics of the much-discussed FirstNet system that is scheduled to be deployed during the next several years. If this is accomplished, FirstNet connectivity and back-office systems certainly should be a layer—maybe the primary layer—of communications used in future robotic or aerial drone deployments by public safety.
However, FirstNet may not be a panacea for this scenario, as its spectrum band will be well known, which inherently makes it more susceptible to jamming techniques. It is possible that FirstNet may need to be complemented by other technologies utilizing spectrum bands to form the ultimate communications solution, perhaps by using dynamic spectrum access via cognitive-radio technology that is versatile enough to avoid jamming efforts.
Of course, it is always dangerous when a journalist tries to make engineering prognostications, and my bet is that our much more knowledgeable people will propose better solutions. What does seem clear is that a very important need exists for reliable, secure connections in such sensitive scenarios as the one that occurred last week in Dallas.
During the FirstNet process, there has been considerable discussion throughout the public-safety community’s reliance on mission-critical voice—the go-to technology for first-responder communications, in part because it was the only form of communications in many situations.
In contrast, the notion of mission-critical data has taken a back seat in many of these public-safety discussions. This is understandable. After all, many public-safety agencies have no mobile-data solutions in the field and have managed to keep the peace for decades, so how critical could mobile data access really be?