In one office the robots wrongfully detected a possible intruder a number of times. Other times it contacts a human, like an operator or security guard, for help.ĭr Deyle says when the robots start work at a new site, they often flag many "false positives" until they learn how to respond to different situations. Sometimes the robot can respond automatically, logging a maintenance request or call ‘000’. This might be an open door, a person in the corridor, overflowing rubbish or unusual sounds. The robot’s AI is honed to detect "anomalies", anything that’s not quite right. One of the robot’s unique capabilities is its ability to travel in lifts. They are cone-shaped, covered in blue fabric and move independently, gliding at a pace somewhere between gentle stroll and brisk stride. The models coming off his company's assembly line resemble a modern, friendlier take on a Dalek. Then in 2016, after “talking to an old friend” who was the head of security for a large tech firm, he and co-founder Erik Schluntz, launched Cobalt. He earned his PhD building healthcare robots and worked in a Google lab on health technologies. In 2015, MIT's Tech Review recognised Dr Deyle as one its top innovators under 35, and today he is already a veteran of AI and robotics. He expects any information gathered would be stored on servers in Australia. Bryan Goudsblom, CEO of Monjon, the company which proposed the robot trial in quarantine hotels, said data integrity would be critical for quarantine hotels. The global population of Cobalt Robots - a leader in security and facilities management robots - has increased tenfold during the pandemic, says Dr Deyle. Internationally, COVID-19 has seen a dramatic uptick in the use of AI robots. The agency was “continually evaluating options to strengthen CCTV and remote monitoring at quarantine hotels” including “exploring how new technology can play a role”. While the planned trial of robots in Victoria’s hotel quarantine was widely reported by media in February, a spokesman for COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria would not confirm for The Citizen whether they were as yet in use. But the notion of such artificial intelligence patrolling the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic also raises urgent questions around consent, privacy and bias relating to the data collected, how it is used, and who has access.Ĭoncerned about potential risks around the use of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, a report by Australia’s Human Rights Commission into human rights and technology - tabled in Federal Parliament in May - called for a temporary ban on facial recognition and the creation of a national AI strategy and commissioner. Their presence could improve monitoring in quarantine hotels. These robots boast “unwavering attention, perfect recall, and then superhuman sensing”, according to Dr Travis Deyle, founder and CEO of the California-based company producing them, Cobalt Robotics.Īs they roam, the robots collect enormous amounts of information from 60 sensors, 360-degree cameras, microphones and two-way video. This might sound like Dr Who B-roll footage, but autonomous, artificially intelligent robots could soon be patrolling Victoria’s quarantine hotels if a trial by security contractor Monjon gets underway. When the lift arrives and doors open, the robot glides in, selects a floor, then coasts to the back. He blue robot extends its metallic arm and presses a button to signal to the lift it's waiting.
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