Ranked one of the safest countries in the world, Singapore
has put two autonomous robots on trial to detect bad behaviour such as flouting
of COVID-19 safety measures, smoking in prohibited areas, and the improper
parking of bicycles, Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency said
in a statement on Sunday.
It said the two patrol robots, named Xavier, are equipped
with cameras that can detect bad social behaviour and trigger real-time alerts
to the command and control centre.
The trial is taking place at an area with high foot traffic
in central Singapore.
The agency said that during the three-week trial, the robots
would be used for surveillance and displaying messages to educate the public on
proper behaviour. A spokesperson from the agency said on Monday the robots
would not be used for law enforcement during the trial.
"The deployment of Xavier will support the work of
public officers as it will reduce the manpower required for foot patrols and
improve operation efficiency," the agency said.
Singapore's home affairs minister, K Shanmugam, said in
August the city-state aimed to have more than 200,000 police cameras by 2030,
more than double the current number of cameras deployed across the island state
in Southeast Asia. © Reuters