Robocop BBot will ‘walk’ the beat at Florida convention center

BBot, one of the latest security employees at the Orange County (Florida) Convention Center, looks a lot different from other staff.

BBot relies on wheels to navigate, has 360-degree vision and takes charging breaks instead of meals.

The egg-shaped, 5-foot-2-inch “K5 machine from robotics security company Knightscope arrived at the convention center this week. It is expected to clock in for its first shift in early May, making the convention center the first major tourism business in Orlando to deploy an autonomous security machine among the public.

The robot’s debut does not signal the AI takeover just yet, convention center leaders say.

Security Manager Isiah White emphasized the venue is using this technology to supplement its human security staff, not replace it. Humans will still patrol the facility along with the robot, monitor BBot from the command center and use the machine’s two-way intercom to talk to visitors.

“It adds to what we already have,” said White, noting that the security division is holding a job fair for people in August.

BBot is on a one-year trial run that costs about $55,000. The venue could consider expanding its robot fleet if the pilot program goes well, White said.

The machine will be based at the West Building – the center’s largest – and patrol that area almost nonstop at a speed of about 3 mph. The droid can detect fires and after-hours intruders and also recognize license plates, though it will mostly run indoors, White said.

BBot has a roughly three-hour battery life on a full charge that takes about 20 to 30 minutes but will continue surveilling at its charging station at a central part of the building, White said.

It can also sense passersby and will greet them with prerecorded messages from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. White said the messages are similar to the passenger greeting at Orlando International Airport voiced by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

“This product will also serve as a marketing tool for the convention center. We’re using it in a way to reach all of our guests: no matter what event it is, what group of people – it crosses all barriers,” he said.

Security staff decided to hire the machine after seeing it displayed at an ASIS International security management conference and later requested a demonstration, White said. The team reviewed other models from different robotics security companies but thought the K5 was the best fit.

The rounded robot was the most “visually pleasing” and least “intimidating” of the robots considered, which included another manufacturer’s model that looked like a dog, White said.

“The public kind of connects with ‘Star Wars’ and so forth, so we felt that the K5 model would be intriguing to our guests and strike their curiosity a little bit better,” he said, comparing the robot to the R2-D2 droid from the sci-fi series.

BBot’s name, short for “Bringing Bravery Out Together,” came from third-grader Melodie Arroyo at Sand Lake Elementary School. The convention center held a contest at the school to name the robot, and Melodie’s class was invited to the school in March to meet BBot in person.

The robot was a hit during that visit and a test run at a recent trade show, White said.

“They loved it. They were very intrigued by seeing it, and I think they felt safer as well,” he said.

‘This is the future’

Service robots are becoming more commonplace as the hospitality and tourism industry embraces automation.

Robot servers and bussers rolled into Florida’s restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic to entertain diners and, in some cases, fill in for human workers during staffing shortages.

Six Flags began piloting security robots from the Robotic Assistance Devices company at two theme parks in Texas and California early last year. CEO Steve Reinharz said at the time he was in early talks with Orlando theme parks to bring the tech here, though the 750-pound, 6-and-a-half-foot robots have yet to appear at local attractions.

In these examples, experts say the technology still relies on human staff to work properly and visitors still seek human interaction while at restaurants, theme parks and hotels.

Research suggests employers recognize automation’s limitations and are using robots to assist human workers, not replace them, despite fears to the contrary. A 2022 Brigham Young University study showed workers overestimated the percentage of jobs replaced by automation, but the actual percentage of employees who reported losing their jobs to a robot was relatively low, at 14%.

Demings, BBot’s voice at the convention center, said in a statement the technology would be a “revolutionary tool” for the facility’s security staff but could not “replace the essential human element to safety.”

“Rather, it is meant to make security more effective,” Demings said. “BBot will serve as a robust addition to an already award-winning security staff, devoted to creating ‘Transformational Experiences’ through safety.”

But some question the effectiveness of security robots in deterring crime. A June 2021 NBC News report on Knightscope found little evidence its robots directly reduced crime when used by municipal police departments.

White worked with the Orlando Police Department for nearly three decades and served as a security consultant for the National Basketball Association. He said he reviewed the research on, and criticisms of, Knightscope’s technology but still views it as helpful in this setting.

“If you ever took any type of criminology class, they would tell you that saturation patrolling an area doesn’t reduce crime. But what I found and from my experience, there’s no way to quantify or measure the impact of something like this in a building,” he said. “Basically, it’s deterring things that would have happened that we don’t know. And so it’s just like having tons of cameras.”

White said he views this robot as a tool in community policing, a strategy law enforcement agencies use to discourage crime by forming relationships with individuals and organizations.

“It’s an opportunity to give our guests a positive experience and for them to know that, ‘This is the future, and they’re being innovative in the way that they’re trying to protect our safety,’” he said.