How is Singapore testing robots to patrol the streets for ‘undesirable’ behaviour?

Singapore is conducting a three-week experiment of two autonomous robots that monitor the public for “undesirable social behaviours,” such as smoking in forbidden areas and failing to follow COVID-19 collection restrictions.

Xavier is a pair of robots with 360-degree cameras and sensors that allow them to navigate in public and investigate potential public safety offences.

According to a news release from the Home Team Science and Technology Agency, if Xavier senses unwanted activity, it will notify a public officer control centre, where police can respond in person or remotely via the robot’s interactive interface. Xavier is being tested by five government entities in Singapore.

In a press release, Lilly Ling, the Singapore Food Agency’s East Regional Office Director, said, “The deployment of ground robots would serve to supplement our surveillance and enforcement efforts.” “The deployment of robots technology can improve such operations and lessen the need for our personnel to conduct physical patrols.”

During the three-week trial run in Toa Payoh Central, a high-traffic residential zone, the robots will be looking for five specific behaviours, according to HTX’s news release. It’s as follows:

1. Bicycles that have been improperly parked
2. Smoking in designated smoking places is forbidden.
3. Illegal hawking
4. On pedestrian trails, motorcycles and other motorised vehicles are prohibited.
5. COVID-19 safety requirements are broken by groups of more than five people.

This is Singapore’s second attempt to implement social laws such as COVID-19 restrictions via robotic monitoring. In May 2020, the government will begin using Boston Dynamics’ robot hounds to patrol public parks and maintain social distance. The robo-dogs were equipped with cameras and audio, and they would “bark” reminders at park guests who were more than a metre distant.

The author is Tanisha Gupta.