Behind the playful appearance of Ascento Guard, with his cartoonish eyes and orange eyebrows, however, reality lurks. This robot, despite having a friendly design, represents a new frontier of surveillance, which could make us reflect on the growing presence of machines in our daily lives and the potential threats to our privacy.
The evolution of surveillance
In the global security landscape, several companies offer surveillance robots for property and event protection. But I ascend stands out from the crowd. On September 12, this Swiss startup launched its autonomous outdoor security robot, the Ascento Guard, which combines advanced features with a design that might make you smile… or worry.
The central body of the robot features a pair of circular "eyes" that flash, accompanied by orange hazard lights positioned as eyebrows. When charging, the Ascento Guard's eyes are “closed,” simulating sleep. But once activated, it “wakes up” and begins its patrolling duties. The real innovation, however, is its "wheel-leg" configuration, which allows it to move precisely on different terrains. The presentation video highlights his skills in patrolling "large private outdoor properties". AND already now, manufacturing facilities, data centers, pharmaceutical manufacturing centers and warehouses rely on him.
An answer to the problems of the sector
Alessandro Morra, co-founder and CEO of Ascento, highlighted a growing problem in the surveillance industry: a staff turnover rate reaching 47% each year. The lack of qualified staff available for long shifts, at inconvenient times or in adverse weather conditions is a real problem. The traditional solution has been the use of people or fixed cameras. But the Ascento Guard combines the best of both.
Each Ascento Guard requires only a few hours of configuration before becoming practically autonomous. During its working hours, these “all-weather” robots are capable of guarding perimeters at a speed of approximately 4,5 km/h. They are also equipped to monitor fires or intrusions using thermal and infrared cameras. And that's not all: integrated speakers and microphones allow encrypted two-way communications, while its cameras can "monitor parking lots", as shown in the presentation video.
Yes, but it still worries me
Surveillance robots are nothing new, but the anthropomorphic design of the Ascento Guard certainly represents a new approach. This design, usually developed for elderly care, could represent a new strategy to address public skepticism and privacy and labor concerns.
A bet that appeals to many: the presentation of Ascento follows a new round of funding supported by industry giants such as the European Space Agency incubator, ESA BIC, and Tim Kentley-Klay, founder of the autonomous taxi company, zoox.
Will the “humanize to reassure” approach work? It's not working for me at the moment.
