A new robotic security guard certainly looks friendly, but that doesn't make it any less vigilant.
A team at the UK's University of Birmingham created Bob the security robot to see how a robot would handle an office environment.
Bob scans its surroundings with 3D sensors to build a picture of the floor plan. If anything has changed since its last scan -- a door left open, say, or furniture rearranged -- Bob will know about it.
Bob is part of the STRANDS project, an initiative by a collection of European universities to build semiautonomous robotic assistants for human environments. Dr. Nick Hawes, the project lead, says Bob is good at what he was designed for.
“Current robots aren't very good with their hands, or able to manipulate objects," Hawes said. "However, Bob is good at driving around and monitoring objects, so 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."
Bob can also talk to his human coworkers, plug himself in to charge when he runs low on power and even request human assistance if he gets stuck somewhere.