HANGZHOU, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- In the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, a squad of special police officers was seen patrolling the vibrant streets, with a spherical robot steadily advancing beside them -- a unique scene that immediately became an online sensation.

"This 'agile roly-poly' is our new member," said Huang Sufeng, the deputy commander of a special patrol police brigade, describing the 160-kilogram globe with a diameter of 0.8 meters.

It is a combat-capable robot designed for close-quarters engagements, including anti-terrorist operations, capable of reaching 30 kilometers per hour in a swift 2.5 seconds and being mounted with police equipment, said Huang.

The designers behind this robot initially envisioned a machine designed to traversing the surface of Mercury.

"Mercury is a planet with extreme temperature variations due to its proximity to the Sun," Wang You, an associate professor in Zhejiang University, told Xinhua.

In 2017, Wang and his collaborators started with the innovative vision, and they finally brought the spherical robot concept to life with rapid rolling motion and advanced motion control, complete with amphibious and autonomous driving capabilities.

The internal pendulum of the spherical robot, powered by a motor, oscillates around the sphere's core in a full-range motion, enabling the robot to roll in any specified direction with good balance.

"The spherical robot can roll with minimal friction, eliminating the need for extra stabilization," said Wang. "It also offers better energy efficiency than legged robots, capable of operating continuously for 10 hours or traveling 120 kilometers."

The spherical robot is distinguished by its sealed design that protects the electronics within, thus enabling it to maneuver effortlessly on both land and water.

The machine features a glass fiber-reinforced polymer shell that maintains the sealed environment and enables operation down to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Also, it is impact-resistant up to 4 tonnes to withstand drops from heights of up to 1 meter without damage, according to Wang.

The team has now established a startup called Rotunbot in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, and recruited an international team for further development.

A promotional clip that went viral on video-sharing platforms showcased a scenario where spherical robots on patrol identify and lock onto illegal intruders, pursuing and engaging in combat. These robots are shown to coordinate with each other and use tools like net guns to apprehend suspects.

In the future, this spherical robot holds the potential to evolve into specialized roles such as Explosive Ordnance Disposal or radiation monitoring robots, taking over tasks in hazardous and adverse environments where human presence is risky, said Wang.

Rotunbot posted the corporate slogan on its official website: "From Mercury to Earth, we make fiction real." Enditem

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