A SAFER NATIONAL POLICE - improving safety with use of robotics
INTRODUCED BY...
Project overview
Due to new technological developments, the value of autonomous systems is becoming increasingly interesting to explore in society. These systems can be used to perform heavy and/or dangerous tasks. In addition, a shortage in the police force, and the prioritisation of the police force safety, made the idea to use these robots to perform dangerous tasks emerge. The National Police divided several tasks to universities and other partners, with the aim of creating a community, which can collaborate in the future to share knowledge.
This project was to investigate and develop a way in which a robot can place sensors in an indoor space, sensors that can warn of any disruption of the environment. DesignLab used our committed team, our good academic network, and methodologies, to tackle this challenge.
In short
How it started
A representative from the Safety & Security Campus was interested in working on a societal challenge, namely improving the safety of the workers in the defense sector using robotics. The representative reached out to Steven van Roon, manager of the Business & Operations Robotics Centre at the UT. Steven then reached out to DesignLab and the project was able to start.
Objectives
The goals of this project were:
- Develop a prototype that can be used for sensor placement using a robotic dog
- Improve the safety of the workers of the safety sector by implementing robotics in their way of working
- Use the Responsible Futuring Approach to address this challenge in a holistic and ethical manner
From process to realisation
After clarifying the objectives and deliverables, the team started contacting teachers and researchers that had expertise on the subject (safety, robotics, etc.). Based on the input from these stakeholders, the DreamTeam defined the requirements of the project: mechanical, electrical, usability, societal, and automation.
In order to create a robust concept, a co-creation session was held to generate ideas. The team took all the input gathered so far, and decided on what the solution could look like.
This is when the prototyping started. The solutions that came from the co-creation session came to life. After testing these prototypes, one of them stood out due to it's adequacy to meet the requirements set in the beginning. A proof of concept attachment was created for the robot dog.
Results
The DreamTeam then presented the process of reaching the objective and how the end-product actually worked. The final deliverable to the partner was a report documenting the whole process and the physical solution. It also included a video showcasing how the team worked together.
The most important outcome was to tackle this challenge using the Responsible Futuring Approach to collaboratively create the end-product. This attachment was used to place sensors on walls. There was also an important focus on ethics and responsibility towards all the involved societal stakeholders.
Bonus content
Safety is such an important part of the safety sector. That's why using robotics is helpful. If a space is not considered 'safe' for the workers in the safety sector, they can send the robot dog to scout it and place sensors for assessment.
Meaningful impact
Arjen is most proud of the collaboration with the National Police on the future of implementing robotics with a societal approach. By also using the Responsible Futuring Approach, the team tried to solve the societal challenge by embracing multiple perspectives, and doing so in a society-friendly way. A project like this is important for students, because it gives them a chance to use their creativity to improve society. This project created meaningful impact for it's stakeholders, and impacted society through innovation.
Looking ahead: What you can do
It is important to embrace different disciplines and perspectives, and to listen to eachother. How great is it to work together and create something meaningful for different parties? People with different backgrounds, professions, idea's can learn so much from eachother. They can help eachother. Just be willing to have the conversation. This project is a true example of Responsible Innovation, one of the knowledge hubs that we at DesignLab focus on.