Patrol Bot Ascento: AI-Powered Autonomous Robot in Switzerland Replaces Human Security Guard at a Lower Cost
Robots may have slowly replaced some human jobs. In Switzerland, an autonomous patrol bot replaces a single human in patrolling outdoors, but the resource shift offers more savings.
Patrol Bot Replaces Human Security Guard
According to its creator, the robot frees up a single human to patrol large outdoor areas that generally require significant staffing but at a lower cost.
Security firms worldwide are looking to use robots for patrol work due to labor constraints and rising public concern about safety, Euronews reported.
For the past six months, residents of Switzerland have witnessed an autonomous, two-wheeled AI-powered robot roving the nation. The patrol robot dubbed Ascento supports professionals in securing, maintaining, and inspecting outdoor assets by reducing intervention times and augmenting their data-capturing capability.
Yes, it adds an extra layer of security and improves operational efficiency at multiple test sites, including a Swiss train depot. It has operated as a guard for the Swiss security company Securitas AG. The patrol robots were built by ETH Zurich robotics start-up Ascento.
Since the patrol robot has wheels and legs, it can traverse flat ground, overcome obstacles, and even ascend one or two steps, according to Ascento CEO and founder Alessandro Morra.
While the 360-degree camera takes pictures of the surroundings, the thermal camera detects people and vehicles. The robot can interact with a backup operator in a control center via a live broadcast.
Ascento plans to improve the AI-powered bot by adding automatic daily security reports. The robot is durable as it can withstand all weather and all terrain. The company also offers maintenance, 24/7 support, and a backup operator.
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Will Robots Eventually Replaced Humans?
There are mixed opinions about the future of robots and humans in the work field. There are concerns that bots will eventually replace humans in the labor force.
However, experts don't think so. A study involving 1500 companies revealed that the best performance is achieved when machines and humans work together. Humans are unlikely to be replaced as they train machines and sustain the responsible use of devices. Robots need humans as much as the latter requires the former, Forbes reported.
In a previous report from Science Times, experts also spoke about the possibility of using AI-ChatGPT in studying Mars. Amy Williams, assistant professor in Geological Sciences at the University of Florida in Gainesville and participating scientists on the NSA Curiosity and Perseverance, said ChatGPT's knowledge about the red planet was cut off as it did not cover the entire range of results published about the organics of the planet that she's aware of.
Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, is also not on board with AI taking over the study. For her, AI-powered machines should only be used to support human activities and not entirely replace humans in the workforce.
According to Cabrol, we are interfering with our development by allowing AI to influence the characteristics that make us humans. It's reportedly a loosely defined intellectual movement known as transhumanism based on the idea that, with the help of science and technology, the human race can progress past its present physical and mental bounds. She stressed that AI is beneficial as a tool and nothing more.
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