Researchers and students at Florida International University have created a real-life Robocop that can help disabled police and military personnel.

The Telebot, a combination of telepresence and robotics, is a humanoid machine that can be operated remotely. Officers who are not able to themselves police the streets can use the Telebot to interact with the public, as the machine lets them see what it sees.

Jeremy Robins wants to use robots to bring disabled law enforcement officers back to the force, and he's given researchers at Florida International University's Discovery Lab $20,000 (£12,000) to bring his idea to life.

"We want to use telebots to give disabled military and police veterans an opportunity to serve in law enforcement," explained Robins. "With telebots, a disabled police officer will be capable of performing many, if not most, of the functions of a normal patrol office – interacting with the community, patrolling, responding to 911 calls, issuing citations. Telerobotics has already begun to make its way into the worlds of medicine, business and private security. Extending it into law enforcement is simply the natural progression of things."

Footage courtesy of Florida International University

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