Researchers at the U.K.'s University of Birmingham have created Bob, the first robotic security guard.
The robot was designed to help human security personnel and alert them when there is a problem, according to Engadget.
Bob can also let his operators know about suspicious activity, as well as things that have changed since his last round. The autonomous machine is being used by security company G4S to scan and film in 3D every room inside the company's Gloucestershire headquarters.
The robot can also ask colleagues for help when it gets stuck. When his battery is low, he can plug himself in to charge, The Daily Mail reported.
The university is using Bob as part of a 7.2 million pound ($12.2 million) pilot project aimed at having robots used in offices across the globe.
"Bob is not about replacing our security officers; the security officers are at the point of use," said Stewart Angell, spokesman for G4S. "They are able to make incisive, very, very quick decisions about changes in the environment. Bob is a complimentary activity that can do guard tours over a period of time overnight or during the day, but also pick up on some of the low-level activities that the guard doesn't necessarily need to be involved in."
The robot uses cameras and scanners to create a map of his surrounding area, find people moving, identify chairs and desks, and understand changes in the environment.
Dr. Nick Hawes, creator of Bob from the School of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham, said today's robots aren't able to use their hands or manipulate objects very well, Birmingham Mail reported.
"But Bob is good at driving around and monitoring objects," Hawes said. "He is perfect for a job in security as a night or day watchman where he can monitor what is going on in his immediate surroundings. We want to see Bob survive on his own for up to 15 days, doing jobs that are useful to security, for example, checking whether fire doors are obstructed, whether there is paper on desks."
The university is testing a similar robot called Werner in a care home in Vienna, Austria for the same project.
David Ella, Technology VP Product Marketing for G4S, said Bob and his fellow robots will not be taking jobs away from humans.
"The STRANDS project isn't going to produce a robot which can replace a human, but what it is going to do is support the security team by adding an additional patrolling source," Ella said. "Our human security officers carry out a very wide range of different tasks, many requiring on-the-spot decision making and the ability to react to unpredictable fast-changing events."
