Cameras are placed in certain angles to watch what goes on under it, and that's all it can do. Robots, on the other hand, can move through a space at eye level, spot faces, and change their routine to suit the building's security needs.
The gap between CCTV cameras and security bots is what shopping malls, industrial sites, and office towers scattered across AU have to understand before signing their next security budget.
What Do CCTV Cameras Do?
The job description of a CCTV camera is to record. And that's all there is to it. This camera captures footage from the spot where it was installed and stores it into a memory card.
Cameras are cheap to run and come in handy to provide evidence, and that's why they're at most commercial buildings.
However, a camera can't chase an issue down a hallway or corridor in real-time. It also can't tell someone that they're doing something wrong.
Once fixed, it has blind spots it can't record. So, anyone (workers and thieves alike) can know what areas they must avoid.
The Importance of Face-Level Footage
If you've got a CCTV camera within your premises, look at its footage. Review it and you'd realize that most of the recordings show the top of people's heads.
Cameras fixed on the ceiling can only shoot down 3 or 4 metres up. So, if a person wears a cap and walks around with their face to the ground, it'll be impossible to ID their faces.
But things are different with security robots. These bots integrate cameras at face level, almost or at the place where a normal person's eyes are. This vantage point takes clear facial images of people as they move around the lobby, parking area, or loading dock.
When something happens, face-level footage will give the police and other authorities the luxury of identifying those involved without guess work.
Robots Move and Cameras Never Will
Mobility is the biggest difference between security robots and CCTV cameras. A robot can go around an entire area using 3D LiDAR and AI navigation tools.
It doesn't have any blind spots as it can move to wherever it wants to at any time. Modern bots do even more than moving around and recording normal footage. They read plate numbers, recognise faces, and give verbal warnings to people who loiter and litter.
Some bots can follow a person acting weird without human control. A fixed camera can't do any of these and only hopes an incident happened within its recording area.
Security That Adjusts to the Time of the Day
A commercial site isn't the same spot at 2AM and 2PM. On weekday afternoons, a physical presence is needed at the entrance. But when the wee hours of the morning rolls around, all attention shifts to the loading dock to ensure nothing goes amiss.
During weekends, the parking lot needs watching as it's the most accessible but least watched area in the entire building.
CCTV cameras can't adjust to any routine. What it offers in coverage on Sunday nights and Tuesday mornings are the same. But a robot can patrol any area to handle security issues.
Providers like Australian Robot Technology can build security schedules into your batch of robotic solutions. Beyond security, bots from this company double as commercial cleaning bots that scrub floors as they go on patrol.
Can Security Robots Replace CCTV Cameras?
Security bots don't replace cameras. Instead, they complete the site's security system. The safest commercial centres are those that use CCTV cameras for wide coverage and add bots for a mobile and responsive layer that cameras can't catch up with.
Robots can be linked to cameras, meaning that all footage, alerts, and live feed sit in just one place. You can see cameras as the walls of the net and security robots as the hands that move it. Together, they close up loopholes each other leave behind.
Seeing One In Person Will Give You a Change of Heart
We've talked about bots and how good they are in offering top-tier security. But theory alone might not cut it for you. You'd want to see them live, directing traffic, dishing out orders, flagging test intruders, and going from one building section to another.
Want to see these bots do all these and more before deciding on including them in your security budget? Book a demo with Australian Robot Technology and get a live demonstration for free.
