- Singapore is experimenting with two robots called Xavier to capture and prevent “bad” behavior.
- Robots will look for smoking, peddling, and defying Covid-19 rules.
- Officials say that robots can report violations and instant information to the public.
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Singapore is testing robots patrolling the streets, looking for “bad social behavior.”
The two robots named “Xavier” are equipped with cameras that provide a 360-degree view and will search for people who smoke in public places, ignore Covid-19 rules, or traffic in illegally, Singapore Home Team Science and Technology Agency Announced on sunday.
The agency said that data from Xavier cameras will be fed into AI video analysis software. The agency said: “Once Xavier detects any of the above conditions, it will issue a real-time alert to the command and control center.”
It said that public officials can “activate additional resources when necessary to deal with the situation on the ground”.
The agency stated that the two robots will wander around the high-traffic area of Toa Payoh Center and remind officials that they will display messages that “educate” the public.
The agency said in a statement: “The deployment of Xavier will support the work of public officials because it will reduce the manpower required for pedestrian patrols and increase operational efficiency.”
This is not the first time Singapore has turned to robots to help regulate its citizens. In May 2020, the official deployment robot company Boston Dynamics’ dog-shaped robot Spot in the park Tell people to keep a distance of at least one meter.
Other countries have tried to include robots in law enforcement. Huntington Park Police Department, California, June 2019 Deployed an egg-shaped robot named Robocop, It is essentially a mobile CCTV camera.
In December 2020, the New York Police Department also tried the Spot robot, but Cancel the contract with Boston Dynamics After a public outcry in May.
