Cobalt Robotics Introduces a (Mostly) Autonomous Mobile Security Robot

Mobile cameras like these, just as with many patrolling security guards, are for visibility more than "enforcement" (using quotation marks since private guards don't actually enforce laws in a society with the government is supposed to have a monopoly on violence).

The number of guards in the US has grown ridiculously out of proportion to the growth (diminution actually) of risk. Much of it is theatrical: employees feel unnecessary fear in parking lots, shareholders worry that important papers my be waking out the front door, they neighboring company has turnstiles to control incoming people -- what, are we less important than they?

As corporate profits start to thin, the cost of supporting all these worthless jobs will become untenable and automation will rise.

http://knightscope.com/

Just have it send in a heart beat.

> How unhappy are places with security camera setups today and what do they cost?

This seems like the right question.

The cost delta between "some cameras on high-value stuff" and "cameras everywhere" might justify this robot.

But also, the robot can roll up to someone and ask them to present ID. Or to please leave because the building is closing now. This would cut down on false positives (silent alarm triggered by employee leaving work late etc.)

Also, security guards make regular rounds in buildings that, for cultural or other reasons, don't have permanent security cameras. Colleges come to mind for example. It's harder for me to imagine.

At the very least, I could see this being a really compelling value-add for a security monitoring company. Cut down on false positives by prompting people for the ID and doing facial recog. instead of automatically triggering the silent alarm. But also just as a "cool tech" differentiator.

So it's not clear it will replace many minimum-wage workers. But it might replace a few. In any case, a robot like this can be built cheaply enough that there's bound to be a market. The question is just if the market is big enough for VC's to care, I guess.