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This handsome anime-style security guard will be protecting actual homes and offices in Japan

Casey Baseel Apr 29, 2019
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Virtual Security Guard will come in customer’s choice of male or female version.

With his strong jawline, well-groomed eyebrows, and snappy uniform, the anime-style security guard you see here looks like he could easily be the star of one of Japan’s dating simulator video games, and in fact he was developed with the help of DeNA, one of Japan’s largest mobile game publishers. However, the company hasn’t announced the release of any new games with titles such as I Can’t Believe the Security Guard is this Hot or That Time I Committed a Crime so Security Guard-senpai Would Notice Me, and that’s because he’s not here to play with, but because he’s got a job to do.

The Virtual Security Guard is a multi-company project headed by Secom, Japan’s leading home and office security company, with telecommunications giant Docomo also contributing its know-how. The large mirror display device has a variety of capabilities, starting, of course, with monitoring and surveillance.

In addition to facial and voice recognition software, which allows the Virtual Security Guard to judge whether an individual is authorized to proceed or not, the system can scan a person’s visible belongings for suspicious or prohibited items. It also reacts to anyone who approaches wearing a helmet or otherwise concealing their face, instructing them to remove the obstruction so that it can get a clear look at who they are.

The camera relays its signal to remote monitors and the system can send alerts to summon human guards should an intruder need to be physically dealt with.

The Virtual Security Guard isn’t just for thwarting evildoers, though. As its likely to be the first thing visitors to a facility see, it can also act as a virtual receptionist, offering guidance and answering simple questions. It’s even able to recognize the height of different people and adjust its gaze so that it can look them in the eye when interacting, with a gentle detail being the way the guard kneels down so as not to intimidate small children.

▼ Much less scary than the AI security robot we spotted patrolling a Tokyo train station a while back.

The same visual recognition protocols that the system uses to stay in the lookout for criminal activity can be used to help out in a medical emergency. If the Virtual Security Guard sees that someone has collapsed, for example, it’ll send for assistance.

▼ Though the blasé way he stands there while the man lies face-down on the floor seems kind of coldhearted.

Oh, and if you’d prefer your high-tech AI security system to not only have a humanizing touch, but a feminine one as well, there’s a female Virtual Security Guard too.

Just like new human recruits have to go through a training program before being posted in the field. The Virtual Security Guard’s development isn’t quite finished yet. However, Secom hopes to have these digital defenders fully ready for use sometime next year.

Related: Secom
Images: Press release
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[ Read in Japanese ]