7 ms·

Cobalt Robotics Introduces a (Mostly) Autonomous Mobile Security Robot

54 points by beambot 10y ago

microcolonel 10y ago
The shape seems to be inspired by Chopping Mall [1][2]. [1]: https://demonsresume.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/chopping_mall_001.jpg https://demonsresume.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/chopping_ma... [2]: https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/choppingmall1.jpg https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/choppi...
compumike 10y ago
BLS statistics say there are about 1.1 million "Security Guards" employed in the US. [1] (For comparison, the total of Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs, Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Drivers, Bus Drivers, and Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers is about 4 million in total [2].) Is it reasonable to compare the scale of impact that this might have in the security space, compared to, for example, how self-driving cars might impact space of professional drivers? Knowing next to nothing about the physical security world... what fraction of these roles are serviceable by a robot like Cobalt's video shows today? What further advances are required to be more useful? [1] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/security-guards.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/security-guards.h... [2] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/taxi-drivers-and-chauffeurs.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/t... https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/heavy-and-tractor-trailer-truck-drivers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/h... https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/bus-drivers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/b... https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/delivery-truck-drivers-and-driver-sales-workers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/d...
- rqebmm 10y ago
  This sounds more like a mobile security camera than a replacement for a security guard. I'd be surprised if a large chunk is taken out of that employment market anytime soon.
- gumby 10y ago
  I suspect non-mobile camera infrastructure (and perhaps ultimately of cameras worn for other reasons) scanned by AI will replace most of them. Mobile cameras like these, just as with many patrolling security guards, are for visibility more than "enforcement" (using quotation marks since private guards don't actually enforce laws in a society with the government is supposed to have a monopoly on violence). The number of guards in the US has grown ridiculously out of proportion to the growth (diminution actually) of risk. Much of it is theatrical: employees feel unnecessary fear in parking lots, shareholders worry that important papers my be waking out the front door, they neighboring company has turnstiles to control incoming people -- what, are we less important than they? As corporate profits start to thin, the cost of supporting all these worthless jobs will become untenable and automation will rise.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
MegaButts 10y ago
I'm trying to think how this might fail - like if someone throws a bag over it. But then I guess it just immediately calls the police assuming foul play? I guess if you cut wireless communication and then covered it with a bag it would be ineffective, but I'm guessing places with enough loot to seriously interest thieves can afford more than just the robot. I guess it's basically a mobile and controllable security camera. How unhappy are places with security camera setups today and what do they cost? It's certainly an interesting idea and I could see it working, but there are so many moving parts I could see a lot of issues. But it seems like most of those problems can be ironed out with time. Best of luck to Cobalt!
- deepnotderp 10y ago
  Adversarial examples?
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - CodeWriter23 10y ago
    Hang an iPhone in front of the robot's camera. Run a green screen camera app on the iPhone. Wear green.
- throwaway729 10y ago
  > I guess if you cut wireless communication and then covered it with a bag it would be ineffective Just have it send in a heart beat. > How unhappy are places with security camera setups today and what do they cost? This seems like the right question. The cost delta between "some cameras on high-value stuff" and "cameras everywhere" might justify this robot. But also, the robot can roll up to someone and ask them to present ID. Or to please leave because the building is closing now. This would cut down on false positives (silent alarm triggered by employee leaving work late etc.) Also, security guards make regular rounds in buildings that, for cultural or other reasons, don't have permanent security cameras. Colleges come to mind for example. It's harder for me to imagine. At the very least, I could see this being a really compelling value-add for a security monitoring company. Cut down on false positives by prompting people for the ID and doing facial recog. instead of automatically triggering the silent alarm. But also just as a "cool tech" differentiator. So it's not clear it will replace many minimum-wage workers. But it might replace a few. In any case, a robot like this can be built cheaply enough that there's bound to be a market. The question is just if the market is big enough for VC's to care, I guess.
SwellJoe 10y ago
I drove past an office in Mountain View a couple of weeks ago in the middle of the night, and there were two Dalek-looking robots patrolling the empty parking lot, making whooshing noises, talking to nobody, and covered in flashing blue and white lights. It was surreal and funny and oddly unnerving. They didn't look like these, so I guess there are at least two companies building autonomous security robots.
- mccr8 10y ago
  There's also Knightscope, which appears to be based in MV. http://knightscope.com/ http://knightscope.com/
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - bebefuzz 10y ago
    Those are the Dalek-looking ones...
  - SwellJoe 10y ago
    That's the one! They were the big white ones with round heads. Their blue light "eye" slot looks ominous in the dark. Also, my first thought was, "I bet those are expensive...and they're just left outside in the open like that. I'd be worried someone would steal them."
    - pstuart 10y ago
      No worries -- they can hire guards to watch them.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  I wish you could find a video of that. I'd love to buy a pet robot Dalek and rig it to yell "EXTERMINATE!" at anyone who comes into my house.
  - 10y ago
Animats 10y ago
Does it have enough face recognition ability to at least recognize people it's seen before on the same shift?
JackFr 10y ago
* EXTERMINATE * EXTERMINATE * EXTERMINATE
epaulson 10y ago
Is there a standard protocol/wireless/IR standard to call elevators that robots can use?
ivankirigin 10y ago
Awesome work. How soon before it can open doors and go up stairs? More importantly, do your customers care?
SpikeDad 10y ago
I hope Tom Selleck is being notified.

54 points by beambot 10y ago

The shape seems to be inspired by Chopping Mall [1][2]. [1]: https://demonsresume.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/chopping_mall_001.jpg https://demonsresume.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/chopping_ma... [2]: https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/choppingmall1.jpg https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/choppi...

compumike 10y ago

BLS statistics say there are about 1.1 million "Security Guards" employed in the US. [1] (For comparison, the total of Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs, Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Drivers, Bus Drivers, and Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers is about 4 million in total [2].) Is it reasonable to compare the scale of impact that this might have in the security space, compared to, for example, how self-driving cars might impact space of professional drivers? Knowing next to nothing about the physical security world... what fraction of these roles are serviceable by a robot like Cobalt's video shows today? What further advances are required to be more useful? [1] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/security-guards.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/security-guards.h... [2] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/taxi-drivers-and-chauffeurs.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/t... https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/heavy-and-tractor-trailer-truck-drivers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/h... https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/bus-drivers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/b... https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/delivery-truck-drivers-and-driver-sales-workers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/d...

rqebmm 10y ago
This sounds more like a mobile security camera than a replacement for a security guard. I'd be surprised if a large chunk is taken out of that employment market anytime soon.
gumby 10y ago
I suspect non-mobile camera infrastructure (and perhaps ultimately of cameras worn for other reasons) scanned by AI will replace most of them. Mobile cameras like these, just as with many patrolling security guards, are for visibility more than "enforcement" (using quotation marks since private guards don't actually enforce laws in a society with the government is supposed to have a monopoly on violence). The number of guards in the US has grown ridiculously out of proportion to the growth (diminution actually) of risk. Much of it is theatrical: employees feel unnecessary fear in parking lots, shareholders worry that important papers my be waking out the front door, they neighboring company has turnstiles to control incoming people -- what, are we less important than they? As corporate profits start to thin, the cost of supporting all these worthless jobs will become untenable and automation will rise.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

MegaButts 10y ago

I'm trying to think how this might fail - like if someone throws a bag over it. But then I guess it just immediately calls the police assuming foul play? I guess if you cut wireless communication and then covered it with a bag it would be ineffective, but I'm guessing places with enough loot to seriously interest thieves can afford more than just the robot. I guess it's basically a mobile and controllable security camera. How unhappy are places with security camera setups today and what do they cost? It's certainly an interesting idea and I could see it working, but there are so many moving parts I could see a lot of issues. But it seems like most of those problems can be ironed out with time. Best of luck to Cobalt!

deepnotderp 10y ago
Adversarial examples?
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- CodeWriter23 10y ago
  Hang an iPhone in front of the robot's camera. Run a green screen camera app on the iPhone. Wear green.
throwaway729 10y ago
> I guess if you cut wireless communication and then covered it with a bag it would be ineffective Just have it send in a heart beat. > How unhappy are places with security camera setups today and what do they cost? This seems like the right question. The cost delta between "some cameras on high-value stuff" and "cameras everywhere" might justify this robot. But also, the robot can roll up to someone and ask them to present ID. Or to please leave because the building is closing now. This would cut down on false positives (silent alarm triggered by employee leaving work late etc.) Also, security guards make regular rounds in buildings that, for cultural or other reasons, don't have permanent security cameras. Colleges come to mind for example. It's harder for me to imagine. At the very least, I could see this being a really compelling value-add for a security monitoring company. Cut down on false positives by prompting people for the ID and doing facial recog. instead of automatically triggering the silent alarm. But also just as a "cool tech" differentiator. So it's not clear it will replace many minimum-wage workers. But it might replace a few. In any case, a robot like this can be built cheaply enough that there's bound to be a market. The question is just if the market is big enough for VC's to care, I guess.

SwellJoe 10y ago

I drove past an office in Mountain View a couple of weeks ago in the middle of the night, and there were two Dalek-looking robots patrolling the empty parking lot, making whooshing noises, talking to nobody, and covered in flashing blue and white lights. It was surreal and funny and oddly unnerving. They didn't look like these, so I guess there are at least two companies building autonomous security robots.

mccr8 10y ago
There's also Knightscope, which appears to be based in MV. http://knightscope.com/ http://knightscope.com/
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- bebefuzz 10y ago
  Those are the Dalek-looking ones...
- SwellJoe 10y ago
  That's the one! They were the big white ones with round heads. Their blue light "eye" slot looks ominous in the dark. Also, my first thought was, "I bet those are expensive...and they're just left outside in the open like that. I'd be worried someone would steal them."
  - pstuart 10y ago
    No worries -- they can hire guards to watch them.
eli_gottlieb 10y ago
I wish you could find a video of that. I'd love to buy a pet robot Dalek and rig it to yell "EXTERMINATE!" at anyone who comes into my house.
- 10y ago

Animats 10y ago

Does it have enough face recognition ability to at least recognize people it's seen before on the same shift?

JackFr 10y ago

* EXTERMINATE * EXTERMINATE * EXTERMINATE

epaulson 10y ago

Is there a standard protocol/wireless/IR standard to call elevators that robots can use?

ivankirigin 10y ago

Awesome work. How soon before it can open doors and go up stairs? More importantly, do your customers care?

SpikeDad 10y ago

I hope Tom Selleck is being notified.