ANSER (which is an acronym for Airport Non-Stop Surveillance Expert Robot) is a medium-size mobile robot specifically designed to patrol both indoor and wide outdoor areas (such as airports) of known map. The robot is able to autonomously (i.e., without human supervision) navigate in semi-structured environments, to safely avoid collisions with unexpected obstacles and to manage the passage through narrow spaces. ANSER, which carries out various sensors designed for surveillance, can be easily integrated with traditional automatic surveillance systems.

Using on board sensors and intelligence, the robot is able to detect the anomalous presence of persons and objects in specific areas, and to automatically identify someone carrying secure identification tags like RFID, through a RFID reader. Moreover, whenever anomalous events are detected (e.g., intrusions, unwilled or misplaced objects, wrongly set doors, smoke, fire, unexpected temperature values or noise, among others), ANSER does not undertake any further action in autonomy. On the opposite, it opens a secure communication channel with a human (possibly remote) surveillance station and then switches to tele-operation, which can be partial or even complete. Therefore, it allows security operators to choose for the proper action: e.g., tele-exploring the surrounding area with deeper accuracy, communicating through voice with the encountered person, or activating a proper human patrol.

This way, ANSER can be considered – rather than an alternative – a fundamental counterpart to fixed surveillance systems, improving their flexibility and effectiveness. According to the scenario at hand, ANSER may be the main surveillance agent, assisted by simpler fixed systems. However, it can always substitute traditional tele-operated mobile vehicles thanks to its superior autonomous navigation capabilities.