But not just anyone can ride it.
To take control of the robot, an officer has to use a personal key. This ensures that members of the public cannot abuse or ride on the device. If a member of the public stands in GIBSON’s way, it may also use a horn.
“Officers riding the GIBSON can traverse large indoor areas swiftly, thereby improving incident response time while enhancing their mobility and operational readiness within the airport,” said SPF and HTX.
During the demonstration, CNA observed that the robot moved at about walking speed.
Speaking to the media after, the Airport Police Division’s operations officer for planning and readiness Patrick Pang said the ride-hailing function makes it convenient for officers to summon GIBSON without having to manually search for it.
Ms Seah Qi Yan, a ground systems engineer at HTX’s Robotics, Automation and Unmanned Systems Centre of Expertise, said GIBSON was a step up from robots that typically only conduct autonomous patrols.
“We hope to create more integrated robotic systems that respond dynamically to both environmental cues and input from Home Team officers,” said Ms Seah.
The police in 2023 rolled out robots which cannot be ridden but can help patrol premises autonomously.
