Why Now for Security Robotics? Key Insights From SIA’s Report

The Security Industry Association (SIA) report
Market Spotlight: Extending the Capabilities of Human Security Officers With Modern Robotics, produced exclusively for SIA by research firm IDC in partnership with SIA’s Drones and Robotics Working Group, highlights topics like the evolution of robotic technology, security robots as modular platforms and real-world scenarios for robotic security. And one key question addressed in the report is “why now”? What is it about the industry and technology that have brought this industry to the cusp of disruption? Here are some key insights:

The security industry is ripe for disruption by way of robotics. The industry itself is quite mature yet ha remained reliant upon manual efforts. Innovation in the field of robotics is leading the effort to evolve the security industry. To understand why this industry is on the cusp of something big, we can consider several areas:

• Manned security industry labor challenges: Any labor-intensive industry today is looking at robotics as a mechanism to reduce labor challenges. Like many industries, the security industry faces challenges like shortages in labor availability, the increasing cost of labor and reliability, and turnover in the security industry is high as well. Additionally, the objective of improving employee productivity is of utmost importance; robotics offer the capability to address these challenges and improve the workforce through modern technology.
• Global population growth and increased urbanization: Population growth and urbanization are factors adding strain to existing urban areas while increasing the requirement for security in these areas. Growing populations in urban areas result in higher risk, and with that risk comes an increased need for security services. This point will likely be reflected in the adoption of robotics across several areas: security-centric organizations, public and private institutions and government.
• Cost management: While many vendors offer this technology with the “robot as a service” model,which allows organizations to pay per hour much as they would for human security officers, it’s important to note that with a robotic security officer, there is no need for breaks and there are no additional costs such as health care and vacation. With these robots available at half the hourly rate of the average security officer, there are savings to be had. More importantly, though, is the ability to both reduce cost and increase effectiveness.

SIA’s Drones and Robotics Working Group brings together members of the security industry, end users, technology experts and other interested parties to promote best practices regarding the use of robots in security, develop research, offer guidance on legislative and regulatory matters and enhance communication and collaboration.

Read the full report here.