Guards in California Prisons, Assisted by the Recon Scout Robot

I think that after watching Prison Break, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) decided they need to add some robots to assist the guards. Back to being serious, these guys signed a deal to help test ReconRobotics’ robot scouter. Dubbed the Recon Scout, it’s not meant to patrol and spy on prisoners, but it’s rather used as a remote-controlled grenade meant to during confrontations or standoffs. I’m not sure how useful it’s going to be, but I do know the ReconRobotics took their measures and they packed it nicely to withstand a 30 ft drop onto concrete of dropped from a low-flying unmanned aerial vehicle. Am I the only one who thinks such a gadget is not exactly what prisons need at the moment? Cost is $6,000 and $9,000 for the IR camera version. [via PopularMechanics]