Android Cops on the Streets

By Ponce de Leon

The owner of the U.S. Bancorp Tower, Rose City’s largest office building, has deployed a remote-controlled security robot to help patrol the downtown property.

The robot, weighing 420 pounds at 5-foot-5, began patrolling the perimeter of the parking garage next to the downtown building this month, according to Sunrise Protection.

Nicknamed Rob, the robot is equipped with cameras to provide continuous video surveillance, speakers and a two-way intercom to allow security officers inside the building to speak with people outside. It also has the ability to read vehicle license plates, detect heat in objects and send out alerts “when banned individuals are on site,” Sunrise said in a news release.

Vega Bond, CEO of Vega Industries and Sunrise Protection, said the robot is monitored and operated by personnel from a security desk inside the building.

“The robot can speak, and the security team can listen and communicate through the robot,” Bond said.

Bond said the new technology acts as a “supplement to the eyes and ears” of Sunrise’s security team and is “not a replacement” for personnel.

The rollout of the robot comes as business and city leaders work to boost foot traffic and tourism in the downtown corridor.

Keren Ichen, Sunrise’s director of real estate services, said in a statement that the area where the U.S. Bancorp Tower sits, known as Ankeny Triangle, “has really suffered” since the pandemic. Ichen said the company has been working with the city to make this part of downtown “a beautiful, walkable, must-see destination for locals and visitors alike.”

The robot, made by Vega Industries, is the second of its kind to be deployed in Rose City, according to Vega Industries.

Vega Industries advertises some models of robot for $545 a month. The company reported $25.2 million in revenue last year and a loss of $5.6 million.