Robocop

11th of April, 2018

It was a harsh year 1987. Bad Hair, Bad Market Crash. Bad movies…

You see it was in the auspicious year of 1987 that the futuristic sci-fi movie Robocop was made.

Fast forward to 2018 and Id like to introduce you to Nimbo – a real life Robocop.

See at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Turing Video introduced its brand-new security robot, Nimbo. Built on the Segway Robotics’ mobility platform and enhanced with state-of-the-art machine learning and industry-leading sensors, Nimbo promises to reshape security with robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

Unlike other security robots, such as the 220-pound humanoid robot by PAL Robotics of Spain or the R2-D2 lookalike from Knightscope, Nimbo is a very compact and, well, a nimble robot. Its body measures only 63 cms across, allowing it to navigate through crowded areas agilely, and its rugged wheels help it cross rough terrain and climb over small obstacles like speed bumps.

But Nimbo’s biggest selling point is its ability to carry a passenger at up to 18 KPH. This means that the robot can autonomously patrol a marked area, use its computer vision to spot an intruder, instantly collect evidence and alert security personnel, and then tactically retreat and transport a human security guard to the location of the intruder.

Check out this video about Nimbo:

With security robots such as Nimbo, security guards will become much more productive because they will leave the job of patrolling to robots and only deal with incidents that actually require human intervention.

And it’s not just security guards who could use help from robots. The police have been eying robots for quite some time now, hoping they could report crimes too and kick-start real-life human investigations. For example, Dubai is planning to recruit enough robots to make up 25 percent of its police force by 2030, as reported by CNN.

BEIJING police recently showed off their new sunglasses with built in mobile facial-recognition units. The eyeglass-mounted camera is equipped with facial-recognition technology capable of “highly effective screening” of crowds for fugitives, wanted persons or those with outstanding matters with the police. A basic version can be bought for less than $800AUD (3,999 yuan)

This really is the stuff movies are made of.

The global market for security robots is expected to grow from $1.9 billion in 2016 to around $3.8 billion by the end of 2025. Considering these numbers, it’s likely that the change in technology will impact us in ways we’ve never thought about before. A McKinsey report from January 2017 estimates that 1.1 billion employees around the world could lose their jobs because of automation and technology such as the Nimbo security robot.

The applications are endless.

Our dog Tex, whose job it is to patrol the perimeter of our house from pesky possums, cats and intruders, is feeling the pressure of having his job security challenged by Nimbo the Robocop.

No unwanted barking, fleas and no dodos to clean up – hmm Tex, I think you better start reviewing your resume…..

And It’s not just the security industry that is going to be impacted.

Think Nimbo the transporter shuffling humans around in hotels, leisure resorts, airports, shopping centres and golf clubs.

What about Nimbo in old folks’ homes?

I’m sure there must be a “suped up” version with mags for the hoons….

With increasingly more money being invested in A.I. by some of the largest tech companies in the world, as well as the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), which is the network of Internet-enabled physical devices, the future of automation has never looked brighter, faster or more well connected.

Because the rapid pace of technological progress cannot be slowed down, individuals and organizations alike must remain flexible in their thinking and nimble in how they react to these emerging technologies. While some will inevitably experience the negative consequences of automation, the possibility to create many meaningful opportunities across virtually all industries is very real and achievable.

Remember economics tell us that resources will be used to the highest productive value. (maybe your unconditional affection might be your saviour here Tex!)

So, the next time you go shopping for groceries, look out for the security guard and their little sidekick. The one that can literally carry them on its shoulders, work around the clock with no sleep, no complaining, and no pay complaints!

Welcome to a more Productive Future.