Auto, TARS and Billy had their first security shift at the Pringle Parkade on Monday, Feb. 2. 

The three security guards aren’t what the average Salem commuter would expect to find when using the downtown parking garage. They are three-foot-tall white and black robots, with some resemblance to Disney’s Walle-E.

City officials hope the security robots will help reduce crime by preventing reckless driving, trespassing and partying at the downtown parking garage, 325 High St. S.E. The machines are in a trial phase until March. City staff will then assess their effectiveness, and decide whether to add them to other garages in the city. 

The city is paying about $11,000 to the Philomath-based robotics company Daxbot for the two-month trial, or $12 an hour while the robots are on duty. 

The money comes from the city’s facilities budget. Auto, TARS and Billy cost one-third of what a human security guard costs, a city statement said.

The robotics company has about four other robots in Salem, with Mason Reeves, a Daxbot salesperson, estimating the Salem Center Mall and 45th Parallel Building have two each. It has about 30-40 security machines in total operating in Oregon, California, Texas and Arizona.

Officials said previous deterrence measures, such as speed bumps, have not reduced unwanted activity in the garage. A recorded camera system would cost the city $187,000 to install, the statement said. 

Manufactured in Oregon, the robots have sleek, white bodies mounted on black wheels. They are fitted with flashlights, two front-facing light strips and, in the parkade, a sticker reading, “city of Salem.” Each unit has cameras below a pair of digital eyes, which can switch between sunglasses, hearts and squints.

The cameras stream live footage to Daxbot’s command team, which monitors the feed in real time when the robot detects a person. A Daxbot official may call the city’s contracted security company or the police depending on the situation. 

Two of the robots patrol the garage daily from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. on rotating shifts, while the third is kept as a spare. 

Reeves said Daxbot officials will call the security company in case of less serious incidents like loitering and the police for dangerous or life threatening events like a car crash.

Daxbot officials have not made any calls to contracted security or the police thus far, Reeves said. 

The main goal of the robots is to deter crime in the garage, therefore reducing the amount of calls to law enforcement and the security company, Reeves said. 

“The idea is less phone calls in the first place, just because there’s a physical presence that creates that deterrence,” Reeves said. 

The robot could also stop criminal activity before it starts with a pre-recorded warning that says, “You are trespassing. Leave the premises immediately.”  

The robots make other noises like beeps and whirrs. 

They can even answer “yes” and “no” questions with different beep tones. If a child wants to know whether a robot likes dinosaurs, it will answer, according to Reeves.

He said people often like the robots, posing for pictures with them and asking questions. 

“People are amazed. I mean, it’s kind of surprising to see. It’s like being in a Star Wars movie,” Reeves said. 

The Daxbot team names the robots, often going for a two syllable, fun name. TARS is named after a robot from “Interstellar.”

Robots are rarely vandalized or hit by cars as they keep to safe areas and can move quickly, up to 3-4 miles per hour, Reeves said.

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] .

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