The Kerala State Police claims to have created history by becoming one of the world's first and the very first police force in the country to induct humanoid robots.

Homeland security, forensic sciences, law and order are specific areas where robots are potentially used worldwide, says Manoj Abraham, ADGP, and Nodal Officer, Kerala Cyberdome.

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan formally introduced the humanoid robot into the state police force on Tuesday evening, at a function at the State Police Headquarters here.

As a police force that has pioneered the integration of technology, it was only natural that Kerala Police developed and introduced the humanoid robot called 'KP-Bot,' Abraham said.

KP-Bot is designed to provide round-the-clock service, involving public interface and front office administration and overcome human limitations to avoid, to the extent possible, human error.

However, it does not replace any human resources. Rather, it would act as the first contact point and a data collection tool to help improve the overall quality of service and performance levels.

‘DUTIES’ ASSIGNED

The major ‘duties’ assigned to the KP-Bot are:

1) Meet and greet officers through face recognition

2) Meet and greet visitors, guide them to appropriate sections in the police headquarters

3) Provide detailed and accurate information on procedures related to services verbally, supported by information displayed on the screen

4) Collect information about visitors, to fix appointments and issue visitor IDs

5) Create a case file on complaint/ petition as detailed by the visitor, and

6) Allow officers to get connected to the robot though telepresence.

FUTURE ADDITIONS

Future additions in its duties/ services would include:

1) Equipping the robot with additional sensors such as metal and IED detectors; thermal imaging; gas sensors; and facial gesture recognition to address the safety and security of human officers and the workplace, and

2) Helping visitors with an update of their petitions, by employing dynamic face recognition and machine learning.

State Police Chief Loknath Behera had announced in the recently concluded Cocon cyber conference that the state police would induct robots to serve in select police beats.

The Kerala Police Cyberdome has since worked with Asimov Robotics, a Kochi-based start-up, to develop and launch the humanoid robot platform.

The KP-Bot concept underwent multiple revisions and refinements to achieve the form, appearance and gestures that resemble those of human beings, Abraham said.

With artificial intelligence being tapped increasingly and a range of sensors being deployed to collect information, KP-Bot would work alongside human beings seamlessly, he added.

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