October 6, 2021

"Singapore has trialled patrol robots that blast warnings at people engaging in 'undesirable social behaviour'..."

"This includes smoking in prohibited areas, improperly parking bicycles, and breaching coronavirus social-distancing rules. During a recent patrol, one of the 'Xavier' robots wove its way through a housing estate and stopped in front of a group of elderly residents watching a chess match. 'Please keep one-metre distancing, please keep to five persons per group,' a robotic voice blared out, as a camera on top of the machine trained its gaze on them.... Digital rights activist Lee Yi Ting said...  'It all contributes to the sense people ... need to watch what they say and what they do in Singapore to a far greater extent than they would in other countries'...."

25 comments:

rehajm said...

Enforcement Droid Series 209 (ED-209)

gahrie said...

Singapore is an example of what the Progressives are attempting to achieve.

Mike Sylwester said...

Spelling the word trialed with a double-L is undesirable social behavior.

gilbar said...

gahrie said...
Singapore is an example of what the Progressives are attempting to achieve.

serious question
WHY, would ANYONE; Want to live in a world like Singapore, or Canberra???

Freder Frederson said...

Singapore is an example of what the Progressives are attempting to achieve.

Really?! Singapore is the darling of free market capitalists. Libertarians, especially, seem to be enamored of it. I guess it is okay to have a police state as long as it is pro-business and the taxes are low.

Tom said...

I mean, isn’t Facebook basically tricking us into attacking unwanted behavior and thinking from others?

rehajm said...

While the social laws and punishments are draconian there’s a high level of economic freedom and a relatively high quality of life. Healthcare is good. Like a China without the central planning…

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Let me know when the robots are given the ability to administer canings...

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I'd prefer a creepy Robot to say - Merrick Garland.

Ann Althouse said...

The article makes it sound as though the robot is yelling. It "blasts" and "blares." I wonder how loud and mean-sounding it is. If the voice is modulated — just loud enough and polite — is it less of a problem? In movies, the robots are often scare because they have a modulated voice (e.g., Hal in "2001").

Andrew said...

Reminds me of the spider scene in Minority Report.

https://youtu.be/GiPxPEyf8ok

KellyM said...

I wonder whether these patrol droids would be deployed in places like...Chicago's south side, or maybe Compton??? Yeah, I doubt it.

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

I'm not sure what Freder is complaining about. Progressives want a police state that's anti-business with high taxes. I'm pretty sure if we're going to have a police state we would want it to be pro-business with low taxes.

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

Read the article. These are not the 'droids we're looking for.

rhhardin said...

Maybe robots are hard to trip. The two person trick would work, one on all fours in back and one pushing at the front.

PM said...

Can only work with a disinterested voice like
Welcome to Costco I love you.
Welcome to Costco I love you.

PB said...

If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning. I'd hammer in the evening; all over these Droids! I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out warning...

PB said...

When all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like droids.

Tom T. said...

There are parts of the US where those robots would be target practice.

Freeman Hunt said...

'It all contributes to the sense people ... need to watch what they say and what they do in Singapore to a far greater extent than they would in other countries'

Isn't that the Singaporean government's actual goal? They want you to be on better (as defined by them) behavior than you would in other countries. Far from shaming them, I imagine state officials nodding in agreement.

rcocean said...

why did the article refuse to discuss the most interesting part? How do the Robots know what is "Unauthorized behavior"? Is the robot being monitored and controlled by a human? If so, say that!

BTW, to read the UK Guardian, which is 110% in favor of monitoring everyone on line, and in school and in the "Tube", and punishing them for "hate speech", to express concern about "privacy" is laughable.

rcocean said...

we have robot at our local mall. Survaillence only at this point. Big signs on it, saying do not touch. If you get too close, it stops and beeps.

typingtalker said...

How is a mechanical device telling you to stop smoking (in a no-smoking area) different from a human with a badge, uniform and authority doing the same? The problem is the smoker not the robot.

Bunkypotatohead said...

In the US we have K.A.R.E.N.S who will do all that for free. No programming necessary.

glacial erratic said...

The Democrats are salviating.