COVID-19: Singapore govt deploys 2 robots to detect social behaviour in public area; Watch

To curtail the spread of COVID infection, Singapore has now come up with new technology, and this time it is a robot to detect poor social behaviour of people in streets and other public spaces. The first country to inoculate 80% of its population with the anti-COVID vaccine, Singapore is looking for new ways to stop the spread of the outbreak. On Monday, the country deployed two autonomous robots on trial to detect poor behaviour of citizens, such as breaching the COVID-19 protocols, smoking in prohibited areas, and improper parking of vehicles on the streets.

Singapore deploys two robots to patrol and survey public areas

After aerial drones and UV rays sanitising, for the first time, ground robots have been deployed to patrol and survey a public area that has high foot traffic. The robot has been developed under a joint project including public agencies. The agencies involved in developing the robots are- HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency), National Environment Agency, Singapore Food Agency, Land Transport Authority, and Housing & Development Board.

According to a statement issued by HTX, it stated, "For a three-week period from 5 Sep 2021, Xavier (the name of the HTX robot [1]) will weave its way autonomously through the crowds in Toa Payoh Central to detect the following undesirable social behaviors: smoking in prohibited areas, illegal hawking, improperly parked bicycles within HDB Hub, the congregation of more than five people (in line with prevailing Safe Management Measures), motorized active mobility devices and motorcycles. Once the "robot Xavier detects any of the above, it will trigger real-time alerts to the command and control center, and display the appropriate message (depending on the scenario) to educate the public and deter such behavior," the statement read.

Earlier, Singapore had deployed an autonomous surveillance dog named SPOT, to patrol the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. The robotic dog was assigned duty near the most crowded park to remind people to maintain social distance. Apart from robotic security, the Singapore government is aiming to install more than 2,00,000 police cameras by 2030.

COVID situation in Singapore

Singapore has recorded 235 cases of COVID-19 infection in the last 24 hours. According to data issued by the Health Ministry, so far the country has reported only 55 fatalities and the total number of COVID cases has tallied to 68,901. Singapore so far has inoculated a total of 8,794,457 individuals with COVID-19 vaccine covering more than 80% of its population.
 

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