Automated video surveillance on robots

The other day in the USA, a man started a fight with a robot. Knightoscope's K5 robot peacefully patrolled the parking lot when drunk committed a mean attack. A helpless car weighing about 140 kilograms fell on its side and was unable to rise without help — it had no arms, no hands, and no suitable program.

The K5 case is not a single case (there was a similar fighter with cars in Japan) and raises many questions regarding the reliability of such systems. We look at the situation from our bell tower. The robot is clearly not blind, it has cameras that help to move along the route and collect information about the world. What generally happens in the field of video surveillance on self-propelled machines?

Knightoscope K5

Knightscope showed a K-5 robot guard in 2013 and has since been conducting tests. K5 is equipped with a camera system that records video 360 degrees around. Similar to R2D2, the robot recognizes faces and car numbers (it detects up to 300 numbers per minute), detects the presence of a weapon, and even understands when people's behavior deviates from the norm. He is able to move, avoiding collisions, in different areas, overcome minimal obstacles and patrol settlements on the sidewalks.
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Egg-like robots have passed more than 35,000 hours of testing and 25,000 miles of mileage on shopping centers, parking lots and production facilities. And yet it didn’t do without incidents with them: aside from the attack of the bully, one of the robots could not avoid a collision with a 16-month-old child - although the robot saw the baby, he did not calculate the consequences of a possible collision.

Cobalt robotics

Similar to a mobile flower vase, the mobile robot guard of Cobalt Robotics is made in a casing upholstered in fabric in order to get as far as possible away from associations with the security combat system. Cpbalt navigates through space, recognizes people by person, reads identity cards and reports any suspicious activity and potential security issues.

In addition to wide-angle night and day vision cameras, it has 60 sensors, LIDAR and RFID, a microphone, smoke detectors and CO2. Thanks to this arsenal, the robot is able to distinguish whether a person should be in a building at the moment or not, detects open and closed doors and windows (can even recognize the sound of a broken window), finds a leaking tap, notices a fire and even pays attention to objects that are not in their usual places.

Military robots

Developers from (suddenly) Ireland created a company that offers robotic systems for the disposal of explosive substances and video surveillance. The main advantage compared to competitors is the use of time-tested technologies with a significant (according to developers) reduction in the cost of components.


This little robot, like a toy, looks very fragile because of its size, but its appearance is deceptive. MAARS combines miniature with plenty of firepower. The modular design allows you to equip it with a variety of weapons: from non-lethal lasers (designed to blind the enemy) to tear gas and even a grenade launcher.


Not every military robot must have firepower. Intelligence is an important part of military operations and small Guardbot is built just for covert activity. Originally designed for a hypothetical research mission to Mars, Guardbot is equipped with cameras and can move on various surfaces (snow, sand, and even water are passable for it).


Designed to help the US Marine Corps, the unmanned Gladiator looks like a small tank and can be equipped with various types of weapons (both with remote control and manual - as a soldier right on the battlefield). With a low speed (no more than 20 km / h), the Gladiator has a powerful armored body.


Let's not forget about the Samsung fighting robots guarding the border of South Korea. The SGR-1 robot is equipped with a radar, night vision device, cameras. The robot's weapons are 5.5mm machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers.

Presence and Ohmni for home

All of the above devices can afford only large companies or government institutions, but robotic video surveillance is also in demand for home use. People Power introduced the Presence 360 ​​device, which the developers themselves call “the world's first robot for a surveillance camera with a 360 ° viewing angle.”

Presence 360 ​​is a turret on which a smartphone is installed, which you leave at home to monitor security with a camera. A special application sends you a notification if the camera detects motion.

The robot controls security at the programmed points for a predetermined period of time - up to three points of view are maintained, covering views of (for example) the front door, back door and kitchen window.

The disadvantage of this solution is obvious - the camera does not move around the house. Maybe you should install it on an Internet-controlled platform with wheels?


OhmniLabs showed the Ohmni mobile robot equipped with two security cameras and a tablet - in fact, this is a telepresence robot version adapted for home use and not for office video conferencing.

Wildlife Watching

Surveillance cameras and photo traps are an important part of research in nature, and in some cases the only way to see a wild animal in its natural habitat. But the cameras have a significant drawback - they do not cause any interest in the four-legged ones, and you can not force the animal to pose for the camera. The problem can be solved by a series of adapted robotic observers.

New robots with cameras as similar to those who are being watched. The security camera is hidden in one of the eyes of the robot. Robots reproduce the same movements as animals, have tails and ears that they can move. The truth is not reported about the smell, and in fact with the help of noses, many animals investigate strangers.

Delivery Robot

Last year, Starship Technologies began testing its autonomous delivery robots in 40 cities and 12 countries. Bots successfully cross the sidewalk, avoid obstacles, go around pedestrians. The average speed of movement is six and a half kilometers per hour, and it can carry up to eleven and a half kilograms of cargo.

The robot has nine security cameras located in front and behind. They allow you not only to move along a given course, but also protect from people, helping to photograph the faces of those who may threaten the robot.

Intellos Sharp

The Sharp robot processes data from cameras and sensors measuring the composition of the surrounding air environment. A movable support raises one of the chambers to the height of human growth, which gives the robot the opportunity to look over the obstacles. The ASI flexible technology platform will make it possible in the future to easily add new devices to the device.

The robot can monitor around the clock: detect unwanted objects and abnormal situations, send reports on its activities, record suspicious events. In this case, the robot can act autonomously or as part of a team. In addition, the robot is equipped with a system of "scaring off" violators - for this it has a siren, flashing lights and the possibility of voice alerts.

- Most of the new models of “observational” robotics are being tested in various conditions, but it can already be concluded that robotic, autonomous, mobile video surveillance is the future. Over time, Ivideon will definitely take part in the development of this sphere. In the meantime, we offer stationary solutions for home and business . However, next week we will finally have active PTZ cameras for the house, and there we’ll be close to the wheeled platforms.