Powering innovation

Autonomous security robots patrol with super-human acuity and detection prowess

The solution

Power delivery network challenges

Efficiency

Size and weight

Reliability

Deterring crime and minimizing risk to security and law enforcement personnel

Improving both surveillance and the subsequent interdiction of perceived security threats is fundamental to effective law enforcement. The goal is to protect personnel and property. Knightscope autonomous security robots (ASRs) provide improved surveillance and safer interdiction by proactively spotting potential threats and mitigating risks to security personnel.

Vicor advantages

Thermally adept planar packaging

Lightweight and small form factor

Rugged design

Autonomous security robots provide better surveillance and safer interdiction

Knightscope ASRs have an expansive array of features and capabilities such as LIDAR, GPS, sonar, IMUs, 4K cameras and high-fidelity audio. They provide far greater acuity, focus and precision than humans. For example, ASRs are able to scan for threats, using facial recognition and license plate identification. They are equipped with two-way communication, giving the robots broadcast capability to engage and de-escalate hostile situations by substituting a robot for security personnel. “The ASR’s ‘talk-down feature’ takes the danger off the human and puts it on the robot,” Stacy Stephens, the co-founder and chief client officer of Knightscope, Inc. said.

High efficiency power for a ventless, sealed system

The intense level of computing, communications and sensing places a tremendous burden on the ASRs’ power delivery networks. Power must be compact and highly efficient. Cooling has a big impact on efficiency and performance. Because the ASRs have no airflow nor venting, Knightscope went hunting for a pure conduction-cooled solution that could use the robot’s aluminum skin as a heat sink. They adopted a Vicor DC-DC converter module (DCM3623) because of its unique ChiP (Converter housed in Package) design. It is thermally adept and very power dense. The DCMs power density also helps with routing the wiring and cable assembly and increasing battery efficiency, performance and runtime. Also Vicor power modules can be paralleled to deliver higher power. Power modules are easily scalable and can adapt as Knightscope innovates and enhances their ASRs feature sets in future designs.

Learn more about the modular approach power.