Singapore Begins Testing Xavier Robot on Streets to Maintain Public Order
Singapore has for the first time begun testing a ground robot to patrol and inspect public places with heavy foot traffic, to strengthen the work of civil servants in protecting public health and safety.
This is a joint project involving five government agencies: HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency), the National Environment Agency, the Land Transport Authority, the Singapore Food Agency, and the Housing and Development Board.
For three weeks, starting September 5, 2021, the Xavier robot will move autonomously through crowds of people in the Toa Payoh area to detect the following undesirable social behaviors:
- smoking in prohibited areas
- illegal street vendors
- improperly parked bicycles
- gatherings of more than five people (amid the coronavirus pandemic)
- mopeds and motorcycles on footpaths
As soon as Xavier detects any of the above, it sends real-time alerts to the command and control center and displays a relevant message depending on the scenario, to inform the public and deter such behavior.
Deploying the robot will support civil servants by reducing the number of people needed for foot patrols and improving operational efficiency.
“Deploying ground robots will help increase our surveillance and enforcement resources. For example, monitoring illegal street vendors can require significant manpower, as officers must be stationed in different areas of the island. Introducing robotics can be used to improve such operations and reduce our officers' need for physical patrolling”
Xavier could potentially strengthen law enforcement presence and prevent careless moped riders from misbehaving on footpaths. It can also provide information about new hotspots or areas where flagrantly active moped users have been spotted.
“HTX ground robots are highly versatile and can be configured for wide application across different fields and operating environments. With Xavier, we can enable many agencies beyond the Home Team to increase their manpower needs and achieve greater operational efficiency on a single robotic platform. This synergy allows government agencies to build a strong operational technology ecosystem and continue to strengthen public health and safety”
Benefits of deploying Xavier:
- Autonomous navigation. The robot is equipped with various types of sensors, in particular safety features, that allow it to move autonomously and avoid stationary and dynamic obstacles, such as pedestrians and vehicles, along a patrol route pre-configured by civil servants.
- Video analytics. The bot is equipped with cameras capable of transmitting 360-degree video to the command and control center. It can capture images and video in low light and darkness using infrared and LED illumination, as well as low-light cameras. Camera data is fed into a video analytics system with artificial intelligence capabilities developed by HTX computer vision engineers. Through real-time tracking and analysis, civil servants can more efficiently and effectively obtain information about such behavior and activate additional resources to respond to on-site situations when necessary.
- Interactive control panel. It also provides an overview of the robot's deployment and operational status, such as battery and connectivity status. Civil servants can receive real-time information through this control panel in the command and control center, and are able to monitor and control multiple robots simultaneously. The interactive panel allows officers to respond remotely to incidents via two-way intercom or pre-recorded audio messages.
Xavier is similar to HTX's Multi-Purpose Autonomous Tactical All-terrain Robot (M.A.T.A.R.), which was deployed by the Singapore Police Force as a patrol bot to support operations during National Day Parades and some other major celebrations.
“As part of our joint efforts to transform how we deliver our services and operations, HDB will deploy HTX ground robots to patrol HDB shopping centers. The use of robotic technologies will complement our efforts to ensure a safe, welcoming and pleasant environment for our customers”
The National Environment Agency's partnership with HTX and the trial of the Xavier robot marks an important step toward using technology to transform how people live in Singapore.
