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The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) have been trialling a new robotics platform named Gibson since early July.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
PUBLISHED ON July 20, 2025 5:08 PM BY Eriko Lim
The Singapore Police Force's Airport Police Division (APD) and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) have been piloting a new police patrol robot named Gibson since early July.
This indoor robot, which was built to enhance police presence and improve officers' mobility, can also be used as a means of transport.
During the demonstration to the media on Wednesday (July 16), Gibson operated within Changi Airport Terminal 4 in its dual-mode operation — autonomous and ride.
The autonomous mode compromises of in-depth cameras, 3D LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) cameras and Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) techniques that allow Gibson to determine its location, safely navigate the indoor environment and avoid collisions.
This indoor robot is also equipped with a "safety bubble" feature, which functions as a proximity detector. This means it can stop and sound a horn when it detects that someone is too close or obstructing its path.
The new robotics platform — Gibson which operates within Changi Airport Terminal 4 in its dual-mode operation — an autonomous and ride mode.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
On the other hand, the ride mode allows the robot to travel to an officer's location autonomously through a ride-hailing function.
This function is developed in-house by HTX, and it is especially critical for APD's Ground Response Force officers as it frees them to focus on incident response while enhancing mobility and operational readiness within the airport.
"Its autonomous mode will allow officers not to worry about having where to park Gibson, where it can continue to patrol in the airport without having to return to its designated parking lot," said Superintendent of Police Patrick Pang, an operations officer for planning and readiness from APD.
He also mentioned that the ride mode is designed to "allow officers to summon for Gibson without having to manually search for one".
Officers riding it will be able to travel large indoor areas, thus improving their incident response time.
A police officer from the Airport Police Division is testing out the ride-hailing function, which allows Gibson to be dispatched autonomously to their location.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
Gibson was developed through a collaboration with the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research.
HTX plans to move beyond traditional patrol robots that work on their own, aiming to build smarter, more connected robots that can react to their surroundings and take input from Home Team officers.
Gibson is not the first robot that has been used by the police in Changi Airport, but this is the first rideable one. It is not known when it will become operational.
When AsiaOne was invited to test out Gibson, we found the ride to be unexpectedly smooth. Although there were some shaky moments when approaching a turn, the robot handled it well.
singapore
Police test ride-hailing robot to patrol Changi Airport T4
Officers riding it will be able to travel large indoor areas swiftly, improving their incident response times
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) have been trialling a new robotics platform named Gibson since early July.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
PUBLISHED ON July 20, 2025 5:08 PM BY Eriko Lim
The Singapore Police Force's Airport Police Division (APD) and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) have been piloting a new police patrol robot named Gibson since early July.
This indoor robot, which was built to enhance police presence and improve officers' mobility, can also be used as a means of transport.
During the demonstration to the media on Wednesday (July 16), Gibson operated within Changi Airport Terminal 4 in its dual-mode operation — autonomous and ride.
The autonomous mode compromises of in-depth cameras, 3D LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) cameras and Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) techniques that allow Gibson to determine its location, safely navigate the indoor environment and avoid collisions.
This indoor robot is also equipped with a "safety bubble" feature, which functions as a proximity detector. This means it can stop and sound a horn when it detects that someone is too close or obstructing its path.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
On the other hand, the ride mode allows the robot to travel to an officer's location autonomously through a ride-hailing function.
This function is developed in-house by HTX, and it is especially critical for APD's Ground Response Force officers as it frees them to focus on incident response while enhancing mobility and operational readiness within the airport.
"Its autonomous mode will allow officers not to worry about having where to park Gibson, where it can continue to patrol in the airport without having to return to its designated parking lot," said Superintendent of Police Patrick Pang, an operations officer for planning and readiness from APD.
He also mentioned that the ride mode is designed to "allow officers to summon for Gibson without having to manually search for one".
Officers riding it will be able to travel large indoor areas, thus improving their incident response time.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
Human-robot collaboration
"Gibson was developed as part of our ongoing efforts in advancing human-robot collaboration where Home Team officers can team up with robotics systems to carry out patrol missions and to respond to incidents collaboratively," said Seah Qi Yan, an engineer from HTX Robotics, Automation and Unmanned Systems.Gibson was developed through a collaboration with the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research.
HTX plans to move beyond traditional patrol robots that work on their own, aiming to build smarter, more connected robots that can react to their surroundings and take input from Home Team officers.
Gibson is not the first robot that has been used by the police in Changi Airport, but this is the first rideable one. It is not known when it will become operational.
When AsiaOne was invited to test out Gibson, we found the ride to be unexpectedly smooth. Although there were some shaky moments when approaching a turn, the robot handled it well.
