Robots are an inevitable part of our future. We've already had them all these years, but it's only now that they are being developed at a much faster pace. Although it's delightful news, it was no surprise that a company from Switzerland had developed a robot with the purpose of patrolling the premises.
Robotic Patrol
Security will always be important to people, especially companies. With that being said, it has a high demand and so it was only a matter of time before robots were created to fulfill that job, which is what the ETH Zurich robotics start-up, Ascento, did.
The patrol robot is already being tested by Securitas AG, a Swiss security firm. The dutiful robot has successfully done its job, as reported by Interesting Engineering. It would reach the locations within the perimeter that needed to be patrolled.
What makes it great is that it is able to roll through various types of terrain and even climb up the stairs. That's an important factor considering that the robot is created to be an outdoor security guard, which means it might be roaming through rough environments.
As for its ability to spot intruders, or really just anyone in general, the robot is equipped with a 360 camera which means it has a wide view of the surroundings, LEDs for when it's dark, as well as a thermal cam or spotting living organisms that emit body heat.
It is also built with a speaker and a mic, which makes it able to "hear" sounds from the area while patrolling, and the robot may also be used to speak to people around the area, although that was not explicitly said by the company.
The robot can also withstand cold and hot temperatures, although it's not stated whether it can operate in rainy conditions. Since, as mentioned before, the robot will be guarding the outside area, it might be an important factor to look into.
While the robot is made for private security, it could also be used to patrol the streets to make them safer, although that might be an issue when it comes to the public being monitored. A robot rolling around with a 360 degrees rotating camera might make people feel watched.
Issues with Being Monitored
Companies or households are entitled to install robotic or technical surveillance in their own place to uphold their security. Placing surveillance or patrol bots in the streets may be a different thing altogether since it is occupied by random people going about their lives.
This can be a great way to keep the peace in public places without someone having to work the graveyard shift or just overall increasing security. But since the robot comes with a camera, what stops security companies from recording the patrols?
This brings up issues with the invasion of privacy and restriction of freedom, which has also come up with the news of police body cams adding facial recognition technology into the devices to help identify criminals, as mentioned in The Guardian.
