From fast food chains to universities, China’s institutions are welcoming with open arms robots.
The latest to be introduced to the market is AnBot, China’s version of RoboCop. Unveiled to the public in April at the 12th Chongqing Hi-Tech fair, AnBot has the capability to sniff out bombs, apprehend a suspect using its mechanical clamp and Taser a suspect to neutralize a threat, reported The South China Morning Post.
Developed by the National University of Defence Technology in Changsha, Hunan Province, AnBot would soon be deployed in public areas such as schools, airports and banks to patrol these places. The robot may appear to be an answer to the rash of violent incidents that had taken place in the past few years in major Chinese cities such as arson, explosions and knife attacks.
Because of these security threats, the industry is booming and enjoying a 17 to 20 percent hike in sales. In 2015, 500 billion yuan worth of security hardware were sold across China. A senior official of the China Security Organization – a trade umbrella operated by the Ministry of Public Security – estimated the market for security robots could reach 10 billion yuan based on demand for such devices.
However, the official suggested for the manufacturer of AnBot to keep retail price at less than 10,000 to capture the anticipated huge demand for the AI.
AnBot, which has wheels for mobility, could perform eight hours of continuous patrol, move as fast as 18 kilometers an hours, and recognize and track faces. Using its censors, the AI could detect drugs, bombs and weapons. However, echoing fears raised by some groups, a human rights observer raises the potential for abuse if AnBot could carry out commands with no questions asked.
Professor Shi Zhongzhi, director of the Intelligence Science Laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is in favor of using robots for security to lower human error. He pointed out that “in real life, they will not function properly without guidance from a human master.”