For security applications, a humanoid robot has several distinct advantages and uses over other form factors.
History of Robots in Society
Even though many industry professionals may not realize it, the idea of robots and the artificial intelligence (AI) that drive many modern ones was conceptualized a remarkably long time ago. In 2500 BCE, the Egyptians conceived of thinking machines and used a form of them. Nikola Tesla postulated a future with autonomous and artificially intelligent robots in the early-1890s. Then, fast-forward to 1956 when U.S. researchers created “Logic Theorist,” the first actual AI program, and in 1966 when “Shakey,” a reasoning robot, was born.
Today, our understanding of robots and their developments is essentially the culmination of over 4,500 years of theory, practical application and incorporation into our society. Whether you’re charmed by, disturbed by, or nonchalant about them, robots are here—and their use within our homes, institutions and the workplace is becoming ubiquitous.
Emerging Humanoid Robots
Arguably, there is no emerging security technology since IP-addressable security devices on LANs and WANs that can change the nature of how commercial security is provided than AI-enabled robots. We’ve witnessed astonishing progress in recent years, and it’s become increasingly apparent that the inevitability of AI-enabled, humanoid robots in commercial environments will soon be a part of our here and now—and not too long after that, may be considered a necessity to a successful security program.
Robotic workforces are found in many industries, with visionary technology leaders like Jeff Bezos
and Elon Musk adopting various robot forms for warehouse and line manufacturing production. These robots are distinctly non-humanoid; they’re purpose-built to perform exact and repetitious tasks with little to no error and often look like industrial machines. These robots work beside their human counterparts, and studies show that they can increase human productivity by multiples of hundreds.
Robots are already making our lives better and streamlining operations for businesses—and it’s becoming clearer through real-life applications that they’re not disrupting workers’ livelihoods as some people once feared. Importantly, these robot types have limited interaction with people. They carry out their selected task, and workers do theirs, and the touchpoints are often few. Given this, can the same be said for emerging humanoid robotics technologies?
Robots in society have a variety of scientific disciplines dedicated to their study, and human robotic interaction (HRI) is a science unto itself. People have emotional reactions to shapes and objects, and we unconsciously evaluate, categorize and judge items we encounter in our environment. Context plays a major role in our evaluations. When we need to interact with robots, we want a more familiar and socially relevant experience, especially when communicating with them.
For human-inspired robot designs, the interactions can be the entire spectrum of our daily lives: in our workplace, in our homes, and in institutions where they assist with caregiving and other daily tasks. Currently, the humanoid robotics issue is much less about workplace acceptance and more about the degree to which robots appear like us—meaning the degree that they are still machine-looking versus a synthetic human appearance.
Advantages in Security Applications
Researchers don’t universally agree about machine-like versus synthetic humanoid robotics form factors, but there is general agreement on several key fronts that apply to the commercial security industry. For security applications, a humanoid robot has several distinct advantages and uses over other form factors.
Human-Robot Interaction
When people want or need to interact with robots in a more involved way, we prefer something we have familiarity with, especially when the interaction may need to be physical, communicative, or both. It’s one thing to issue a command to a Roomba or an Alexa, but we’re not inclined to engage in an extensive conversation with it. We’re okay to use a robot as a communications channel to a live human, but if we need to have a conversation with a robot, we prefer that it can reciprocate with social cues.
“Robot gaze”—the idea that we are seen and recognized when we want to be by a robot—and “proxemic behavior”—which occurs when the robot is responding to our presence—are two important humanoid robotics design elements. Essentially, we want to know that we’ve been seen and responded to when we anticipate and need the interaction from a humanoid robot, but we want to be careful that that interaction does not too closely mimic our human form and create any level of discomfort.
Purpose-built, humanoid security robots are intended to interact with people to create emotional ease, facilitate communications and provide an expected outcome. They don’t exactly look like us, but we should be able to relate to them on a level that fosters comfort and connection.
AI
Artificially intelligent security robots have two important functions.
- They can navigate within their environment and independently perform programmed tasks with minimal human oversight. For example, tasks can include conducting a routine patrol and correcting a blocked aisle safety hazard. Having humanoid, artificially intelligent robots to carry out these tasks can be intensely helpful in bolstering a facility’s overall security program and complementing traditional guarding services. From ensuring constant alertness and reducing human exposure to life-threatening risks or hazards to helping diminish human error and address labor costs and shortages, deploying these technologies in commercial environments can help streamline security operations and costs.
- Artificially intelligent robots can recognize and appropriately respond to people in the authorized environment. For instance, interactions can include responding to wayfinding requests or initiating communications with a human standby operator to ensure accuracy and responsiveness when incidents occur.
Mechanistic security robots have been and are currently deployed in the workplace today. Humanoid AI robots signal the next evolution and elevate the industry to a whole new level of possibilities that ultimately serve the end-user, with improved people experiences and better security outcomes, along with streamlined operations and the potential to reduce costs.
At this juncture, we can truly imagine an experience in the not-too-distant future where one could walk into an office area and approach a humanoid security robot. The person may engage the robot with a simple greeting and ask about the weather or confirm who won last night’s pro hockey or basketball game. The individual may react instinctually with a simple head nod in the robot’s direction, and it returns a smiling face and turns slightly towards them. By now, the robot will have interrogated and registered the individual’s photo ID smart badge to authorize presence in the facility while simultaneously engaging in conversation, confirming appointments or the arrival of guests and patrons—and maintaining total awareness of the environment to alert to any risks that may arise.
Humanoid security robots are here, and the good news is they’ve been designed to fit how we want to work with them. While a variety of utility patrol robots have been in the workplace for a while, it is the humanoid-type form that will provide a substantial leap in security robot usefulness and workplace acceptance. As we look to envision the security operations of the very near future, not only will purpose-driven humanoid robots offer the security services that organizations want from them, but their ability to positively engage with people and put them at ease cannot be overstated.
Learn more about how Everon is exploring the use of humanoid robotics and other groundbreaking emerging technologies in commercial security applications below.