ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta saw a notable drop in crime in 2024 in nearly all categories. However, one category that increased was burglaries.
Burglaries at construction sites, including new homes and renovations, saw a 3% increase.
“We still saw an increase in burglaries over this time last year, despite arresting 222 burglars,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told the Atlanta City Council’s Public Safety Committee in November 2024.
“We have had items taken,” said Richard Hatcher with Atlanta Tech Village, where the South Downtown location is under construction. “We’ve had break-ins in the past as well.”
Hatcher and the ATV team looked for a way to carefully take a bite out of that crime without exposing employees to undue safety hazards.
“We want to ensure we keep our security personnel safe,” Hatcher said.
It makes sense that a tech space would find a tech answer. ATV is testing a series of dog-like robots at the Old Sylvan Hotel on Mitchell St.
“He’s like a friendly, quadrupedal robot dog,” said Bryan Dinner, the founder and CEO of Undaunted.
Named “Oppy”, the robot security guard dog patrols the halls after workers leave.
“We’re able to put a guard in the right place, at a safe distance from any possible harm,” Dinner said.
Oppy uses lidar and artificial intelligence to move about the site, looking like a combination of a robot dog and a Waymo car. A camera on his head sends video back to Undaunted’s command center. When a threat is detected via security cameras, Oppy can be sent to confront it, sound an alarm, notify police and even allow the controller to talk through it.
“It can move faster than a security guard can run,” Dinner said.
Dinner says it’s also less expensive than hiring multiple security guards. Two guards patrol the Mitchell St. location.
“There’s a problem right now for the construction industry,” Dinner said.
The need for solutions allows innovative solutions like Oppy and Undaunted to cover new ground.
“Robots are where drones were five years ago,” Dinner said.
And where security could be headed five years from now.
“This is a chance for Undaunted to allow us to secure the space without security on the premises,” Hatcher said.
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