Robot finds murder suspect (AP news story)

"Robot finds murder suspect." AP story from Greenbelt, MD. The Cincinnati Post 4 Sept. 1993: 2A.

Local police "used a 3-foot, 480-pound robot to disarm a man who allegedly shot-gunned his girfriend to death and barricaded himself inside their apartment." The robot is a seven-year old remote-controlled RMI-9 (Remote Mobile Investigator-9) that was purchased for $45,000 by the Greenbelt fire department. It comes equipped with "mechanical claws" and "a high-pressure water gun" and is usually used "to dismantle suspected explosive devices." The robot is pictured in the story and bears some resemblance to Johnny 5 in SHORT CIRCUIT and SHORT CIRCUIT 2 (q.v. under Drama). Note for real-world realization of the motif of the crime-fighting robot and for one possible source for part of the design of Johnny 5.