Written by Damon Henry, CEO & Co-Founder, Asylon Robotics
Background
Over the past 15 years, investors have poured more than $160 billion into autonomous vehicles. However, the final step to completely remove the human element is lacking in many cases. This is not due for a lack of trying, a lack of funding, or a lack of brain power committed to the goal. It’s simply because technology hasn’t yet progressed to ‘Level 5 Autonomy’ which everyone is striving for. In fact, even Tesla, one of the world’s premier electric vehicle companies and known innovator in autonomous vehicles, is a self-proclaimed ‘Level 2’ in a statement released last year.
In the near-to-mid-term, it is our pragmatic belief that Robots + AI will not directly replace human capability. Instead, humans, and in particular, human expertise, integrated with robots + AI, will replace those without it. This is the direction the world is going.
At our core, our vision is to make the world safer, more secure, and more efficient by pushing the limits of today’s technology. We pursue this by providing a physical security service to our clients in a complete package that utilizes the world’s most advanced drones, robots, sensors, and AI available.
The question that many of us in the robotics industry face is this:
How do we operationalize technology at a meaningful scale to provide value to our clients, and what are the technological, operational, and ethical implications for the human workforce who will now be working alongside robotics?
Enhancing Security with Robotics
In today’s post-pandemic world, physical security has become a C-level discussion.
In a report conducted by the National Retail Federation, about 70% of retailers reported an increase in Organized Retail Crime (ORC) over the last five years. Moreover, incidents of cargo theft reportedly increased 15% year over year in 2022.
Not only does theft appear to be on the rise. Tragically, police officers and security guards account for 19% of workplace homicides, showcasing how dangerous these jobs to protect can be. These factors have driven security leaders to reevaluate the future posture of their security programs.
Robots, as a subset of a larger security profile, can satisfy a variety of enterprise challenges that are directly affecting the bottom line.
Employee Safety: Creating a security profile where a robot is the first contact instead of an employee is a great way to have positive impact on employee safety and morale. Whether it’s conducting graveyard shift patrols in dimly-lit areas or responding to intrusion alarms, we’ve assisted numerous clients in relocating their employees from hazardous environments.
Employee Turnover/Call-Out: Robots don’t eat or sleep. The guarding industry is a high turnover industry with the national annual turnover rate to be estimated at 100%-300%. By utilizing robotics, consistency in schedules, training, and even personalities can be maintained throughout the year. This ensures predictable performance, while optimizing efficiencies.
Theft Deterrence: Deterrence plays an important role in theft reduction. Maintaining a continuous outdoor presence with robots, whether automated security drones or ground-based units, has been shown to reduce theft attempts and lower the local crime index. Check out the GXO case study where we analyzed the crime index after deploying automated security robots.
Compliance Requirements: Robots are efficient at inspection services and continuous monitoring. Clients subject to regulatory trade requirements such as CT-PAT or TAPA standards can automate and streamline reporting and processes using robots. Plus, security drones and robots provide a timestamped video record of the incident or report.
Risk Reduction: Analytics such as fire and weapons detection are significantly impacting the risk profile of sites. By installing these AI analytics on robots, aka roving mobile cameras, the response times to potential life-threatening situations can be reduced.
Cost Savings: Security robots typically offer significant cost savings and ROI to customers within the first year. Interested in learning how to calculate ROI? Reach out to us here to learn more.
How Humans Can Work Alongside Security Robots
The integration of advanced security robots into various workplaces will revolutionize the landscape of human-machine collaboration. These robots, equipped with cutting-edge AI and sensing technologies, will complement human security personnel, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and overall safety.
Humans will provide strategic oversight, leveraging their cognitive abilities to make complex decisions and interpret nuanced situations, while robots handle repetitive tasks and patrol duties with tireless precision. Together, they will form a symbiotic partnership, each contributing unique strengths to ensure comprehensive security coverage.
Advanced security robots will offer real-time monitoring capabilities, swiftly detecting anomalies and potential threats, thereby preempting security breaches and mitigating risks. Meanwhile, humans will focus on tasks requiring empathy, interpersonal communication, and critical thinking—facilitating smoother interactions with visitors and resolving complex security issues.
One of the most important considerations regarding security robots is to be deliberate about the use cases or goals of the system.
There is no value in a robot that aimlessly wanders around a building.
Instead, it’s extremely important to define what you want the robot to inspect and at what frequency. Which doors need to be checked? Which gates need to be inspected? Which fence lines need inspection? Knowing what aspects of the facility pose security risks, such as an open door or a stuck gate, is important so that humans can be efficiently assigned to tasks.
This collaboration will not only optimize security protocols but also redefine job roles, empowering human workers to focus on higher-level responsibilities while leveraging the capabilities of AI-driven robots. Ultimately, this harmonious integration will lead to safer and more efficient work environments, shepherding in a new era of human-robot cooperation in security operations.
Through the creation of a new type of role, one where security officers can work hand-in-hand alongside robotics, we urge security leaders to reinvest the savings that robotics can provide back into the workforce and new technologies to develop stronger technological career paths within the security industry.
Security officers in America have a turnover rate between 100%-300%, consist of upwards of 18% of workplace homicides, and are paid a median of $16.79 per hour (note: this is the take-home rate, not the average billable rate that companies pay to security services firms). It’s time for a shift in thinking, strategy, and application when it comes to these issues. Not only will better, higher-paying jobs be the result, but both the safety and security of assets and employees will increase.
Humans + Robots + AI = Security Redefined
Operational Superiority
From our experience remotely operating over 100,000 security patrols for our customers from our 24/7/365 Robotic Security Operations Center, we’ve found that the common thread that separates top-performing robotic security systems from the rest is their frequency of operations and the quality of Security Event reporting. Purchasing robots and drones may seem straightforward. But creating and extracting value through all of the elements of hardware, software, regulatory compliance, staffing, and, subsequently, remote operations and monitoring can be a significant undertaking. This should be strongly evaluated when determining whether a robotic security program should be built from the ground up within an organization or if an existing robotic security service provider should be used.
When it comes to operations, we believe that the human expertise, in this case, our experience operating robots at scale on a daily basis enables us to provide a service to our customer that allows them to fold robots into their facility without having to deal with the steep learning curves associated with technology that is rapidly advancing and still very nuanced. We are committed to continuously refining our technology and operational processes based on customer feedback, ensuring responsiveness and flexibility in addressing the evolving threats to commercial businesses today.
Please feel free to reach out to me any time if you have questions, comments, or would like to start a dialogue on how to partner. You can connect with me, Damon Henry, directly on LinkedIn. To learn more or to request a security robotics demo, visit our website: https://asylonrobotics.com