Singapore recently launched a pilot test of the new robots it has acquired to patrol the streets and warn citizens of "undesirable social behavior." The incorporation of these motorized robots takes Singapore up a notch in policing this city-state heavily controlled by surveillance cameras and the recently installed facial recognition technology on light poles.
This tight control of citizens has earned Singapore various criticisms for reducing the civil liberties of its population, although it is already used to strong controls. Even so, the population has once again expressed growing concern about the emergence of these new intrusive technologies.
The Xavier robots, as they are called, have wheels and seven peripheral cameras that control a 360-degree view around the robot. Among other tasks, these small robotic police officers will warn those who smoke in prohibited areas , those who incorrectly park their bikes or those who violate the rules of social distance due to the coronavirus. Recently one of these robots entered a residential area and called the attention of a group of elderly people who were playing chess: “Please keep a meter away. Please gather in groups of five people, ”a robotic voice alerted, as a camera from the device focused on them.
