Here's where, and why, you're likely to see more robot security guards in area stores
The robots are here to protect and monitor you.
Shoppers at Lowe's stores throughout the Philadelphia region will now be greeted by robocops that record 360-degree HD video, detect thermal anomalies, and scan license plates in the parking lot.
Customers share the store aisles with something like a plastic egg, standing 5'2" and weighing just under 400 pounds. Lowe's K5 robot patrol model, designed in Silicon Valley, automatically recharges, and even during "break," the cameras and sensors are still rolling.
Experts say it's just the start of a robot security force, which could become commonplace in the next few years. And the data collected by these machines could also be used to monitor consumer behavior like when you shop, the clothes you wear, and vehicle you drive. First, though, humans will have to become much more comfortable ― and, in some cases, less hostile ― to the machines.
In 2015, the HitchBOT, a Canadian hitchhiking robot that traversed Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, was attacked and "decapitated" on the streets of Philadelphia. So far, humans seem more interested in taking selfies with the Lowe's security bot and posting funny videos to YouTube and TikTok.
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Robot security at stores, casinos, college campuses
Lowe's contracted with the California-based Knightscope for its robot guards and a pilot program in the Philadelphia region. This news outlet was unable to reach officials at Lowe's for comment on current and future robot locations after emails sent Friday and Monday.
Knightscope said its robots are now patrolling banks, casinos, college campuses, hospitals, data centers, and some community parks. Southeast of Los Angeles, the city of Huntington Park has machines labelled as "robocops" patrolling some public spaces.
Robots could be soon be everywhere, said Stacy Stephens, chief client officer for Knightscope.
"Knightscope’s technologies are already deployed from Hawaii to North Carolina, but we’re likely five years off from being ubiquitous," said Stephens. "Our autonomous security robots can be seen today protecting the places people live, work, study and visit, including hospitals, malls, casinos, hotels, airports, and schools."
The robots aren't designed to replace human security or police, Stephens said.
Yet, company brochures compare its robots to humans. Knightscope's machines are described as "workaholics," who perform 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and “don’t complain about it.”
The shift to robotics is inevitable, said Cathal Walsh, chief security officer for Guidepost Solutions, a global security consultant.
After the pandemic and labor shortages, companies are looking to robots to perform routine tasks, said Walsh. "Robots do an exceptional job as an eyewitness with multiple cameras," Walsh said. "It captures so much information without relying on someone’s memory."
"It’s not going to replace all humans, but there’s definitely an equation here," Walsh added. "People will become more accepting of the technology. As culture adapts and the price point comes down, we will see many more of these robots. We’ll see them at the malls and large corporate campuses."
Yet robots will also provide companies with much more than security, said Gregory Hatcher, a cyber security consultant and former senior network engineer for the U.S. Army Special Forces. Robots will help collect consumer data on "pattern of life" for companies seeking to sell products, Hatcher said.
"We have to wonder where is all this data going," said Hatcher.
Robots are also very likely to replace some human labor, he added. "To say that (artificial intelligence) and robots aren't replacing jobs is just inaccurate. This is the new normal."
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Robot security guards at Lowe's, other stores could soon be everywhere
