Singapore Prisons to deploy fight-stopping robot in October

SINGAPORE – When a fight breaks out in prison, officers would typically rush in to quell it.

But from October, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) will deploy a 510kg, pepper-spraying robot to patrol and detect such situations during a three-month trial.

The 157cm-tall machine, called Prisons Robot To Eradicate Conflicts and Threats (PROTECT), was developed by SPS with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX).

It is to ensure the safety of both inmates and officers and lead to faster incident response.

During a demonstration at Changi Prison Complex on Sept 3, officers showed the media how the robot would operate during an altercation. With the device being controlled remotely, two officers played the roles of inmates fighting. The robot barrelled through a plastic chair before stopping and spraying them with water.

The robot will patrol the yard at different times of the day.

When an incident occurs, it will issue a warning to move and use pepper spray, which has a reach of 5m, on non-compliant inmates for about 20 seconds, before officers get to the scene.

It will live-stream video and audio recordings of the incident to officers at the Correctional Unit Control Centre.

SPS said the robot is still in its development stage, and for now is unable to detect situations on its own and act on them.

SPS said the robot is equipped with artificial intelligence to recognise humans and allow it to move around obstacles.

During the trial, three different institutions, which SPS did not want to disclose, will each have a robot deployed.

Peng Chongtian, HTX’s lead engineer from the Robotics, Automation & Unmanned Systems Centre of Expertise, said the robot is the first of its kind in Singapore.

He said: “The robot was developed from the ground up, specifically to SPS’ needs.”

In February, SPS said the rise in the number of young offenders and remand prisoners in 2025 contributed to an increase in assault incidents in prisons.

It said these inmates tend to face more adjustment issues upon admission, are more impulsive and resort to violence when involved in disputes with fellow inmates.

The assault rate went up from 54.4 assaults per 10,000 inmates in 2024 to 76.7 in 2025.

SPS said it uses measures such as inmate reporting, anti-violence programmes and video analytics to detect fights and curb violence in prisons.

On Sept 3, SPS said: “As SPS adopts new technologies, officers will remain at the centre of prison operations and decision-making.”