Security robots market growing at 15 percent annually

Security robots are already becoming a common sight in places around the world, especially around parking lots. These types of robots will only become more common. A new report from Technavio projects that the security and law enforcement robots market will expand at a CAGR of 15 percent through 2021.

Increasingly, law enforcement agencies want robots that can be deployed at all hours. Border patrol is one popular use. To ensure robots are always ready, agencies are doubling up on robots that can work 12 hours at a time.

Security robots come in many different forms. The most common type is an upright wheeled one that monitors private property. Another type is in the form of a vehicle, as Dubai police recently unveiled.

Dubai plans to use self-driving police vehicles that will scan the streets for criminals and unlawful behavior such as violence. The cars will use biometric data to identify people who are wanted by the police.

Some people liken this technology to dystopian science fiction in which police states control citizens through the use of robots. As the technology exists now, it is a far cry from a dystopia. Security robots are perhaps most useful to private companies looking to more easily secure their property. Government contracts are lucrative, but the growth of security robots in private enterprise is what really gives the market so much potential.