Although security guards are deployed in many places that people visit regularly, it is highly unlikely that one will recall where he or she saw a specific security guard on a particular day. That is because we do not pay much attention to the guards on duty. However, it is different with Bob, and you cannot but look at him, remember him and recall him to your friends later.
That is because Bob is a goofy looking security guard and a robot. He or rather it is an autonomous robot, based on the MetraLabs robot “Scitos A5,” programmed by the University of Birmingham and Bob runs on Linux.
Actually, Bob is on a three-week trial run at the Gloucestershire headquarters of the UK-based security firm GS4 Technology. The School of Computer Science, at the University of Birmingham, designed the robot they named as Bob. GS4 is evaluating Bob’s performance as a trainee security officer. The University of Birmingham is hosting the project STRANDS with an aim of using robots in a more versatile way in the workplace and Bob is a part of the $12.2million project.
Bob is built on the lines of the Germany-based MetroLabs Scitos A5 robot. If you have seen the Softbank Pepper robot made by Aldeberan, Bob looks much like an armless, stripped down version – even the built-in tablet display is present. The difference between the two is in their programming. Pepper can read and respond to human emotions, while Bob is trained to notice changes in a given environment.
With built-in scanners and 3D cameras, Bob can build a map of its patrol area. Bob, being a mobile robot, can identify objects and autonomously maneuver around them. If it finds its batteries are running low on energy, Bob reports to its docking station for charging them. According to GS4, the security robot is programmed with activity recognition algorithms. Therefore, it is able to detect movement of people, observe and draw conclusions about the changes occurring in the environment over time. For example, Bob can identify when and where objects disappear or reappear, detect whether fire doors are closed or open and identify where people can go.
Bob is unarmed and carries no weapons. Therefore, it cannot apprehend a thief in the act. However, Bob can speak and contact human guards for assistance. Typically, human security officers have a very wide range of different tasks that they carry out. They may have to react to fast changing unpredictable events that require on-the-spot decisions. Although the robot security guard of the STRANDS project will not be able to replace a human, it can support the security team as an additional patrolling resource. It can carry out frequent routine checks, highlighting abnormal situations that require the security teams to respond.
The Scitos A5 from MetraLabs sells primarily as a mobile service robot. It is used for exhibition booth and point-of-sales applications. Typically, the Scitos robots run on Fedora Linux with SELinux extensions, whereas Bob runs on Ubuntu Linux. The interface consists of a 15-inch, 1024×768 touchscreen, dual loudspeakers, microphone and 32 LEDs to provide feedback signals.
