Mention “robots” and most people think of R2D2, C3PO, and cyborgs of the kind we used to see only in Hollywood’s sci-fi imagination, like Star Wars, Back to the Future, and The Terminator. But that is not what robots are today. With advancements in technology over the last decade, artificial intelligence (AI), self-driving cars, and “robots” are quickly becoming part of everyday life, sometimes in ways we are not even aware of.
Up until recently, most robots were made to do simple, labor-intensive jobs in the supply chain. But today modern technology is creating more sophisticated robots for a necessity that America has great need of: protection and law enforcement.
The United States has a crime problem, this is a well-known and highly publicized fact. Between 2019 and 2020, the FBI and CDC reported a roughly 30% increase in the US murder rate. Thefts and robberies in major cities went up by 20% in the first half of 2022. Americans are clearly taking notice, with a record-high 56% of Americans saying they believe that local crime has increased.
The number of crimes taking place is already too much for law enforcement to handle and it all comes down to a simple math problem – the US population is over 331 million, yet there are only 660,288 full-time law enforcement officers and just over a million more security guards.
How to address the shortage of human law enforcers and security guards? Science and the technology of Artificial Intelligence is jumping into the breach. New developments like Autonomous Security Robots (ASRs) are being created and have already proven to be effective solutions.
ASRs are automated guards used to surveil and perform security tasks, combining self-driving technologies, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). ASRs can be used to patrol surveillance areas, report, monitor, investigate, and detect intruders, easing the shortage of humans prepared to do the job. They have the ability to move in complex environments, detecting and reporting anomalies in the environment. Their sensors and cameras allow them not to lose their balance, even when moving through complex terrain. And they keep human police enforcers out of danger.
Robots are already widely in use in police enforcement and security. They are designed to allow access to situations that are inaccessible or dangerous for first responders, and can manipulate objects as well as gather data through a variety of technologies. They can record video and audio that officers can work with later should the suspect get away.
ASR’s are also turning into big business. The Security Robots Market is anticipated to reach $71.8 billion by 2027, growing at a staggering 17.8% CAGR from its estimated value of $31.7 billion in 2022. Business Wire projected that a full 37% of the industry’s growth will be coming from North America alone.
Will robots replace security guards? An Oxford University study predicted with a very high probability that human security guards will be automated within 20 years.
