Singapore Prisons to Deploy Fight-Stopping Robot in October

Starting in October, Singapore's Prison Service will send a 510-kilogram robot into prison yards to help stop fights between inmates. The robot, named PROTECT, stands 157 centimeters tall and can shoot pepper spray at people who refuse to follow its orders. It will be tested at three different prisons over three months. The goal is to keep both inmates and officers safer and to respond to violent situations more quickly.

PROTECT stands for Prisons Robot To Eradicate Conflicts and Threats. It was built by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) together with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX). Lead engineer Peng Chongtian said the robot was designed from scratch to fit exactly what prison officers need. It is the first robot of its kind in Singapore.

The robot does not work on its own just yet. For now, officers control it from a distance using remote controls. It sends live video and audio back to officers at the Correctional Unit Control Centre, so they can watch everything happening in real time. Artificial intelligence helps the robot recognize people and move around objects in its path.

When a fight breaks out, the robot moves toward the trouble and gives a warning to stop. If inmates do not listen, it sprays pepper spray for about 20 seconds, reaching up to five meters away. During a demonstration at Changi Prison Complex on September 3, the robot knocked through a plastic chair to reach two officers who were pretending to fight. After spraying them with water during the demo, it stopped and waited for real officers to arrive.

The robot will move around prison yards at different times each day, so inmates will not know exactly when it is coming. Three robots will be placed at three prisons during the trial, though SPS has not named which ones. SPS made it clear that human officers will still be in charge of all decisions, even as new technology is brought in.

The new robot comes at a time when prison fights have been rising. In February, SPS reported that more young offenders and people held on remand — meaning they are waiting for their trial — were admitted in 2025. These inmates often struggle to adjust to prison life and are more likely to act impulsively and get into fights. The assault rate jumped from 54.4 incidents per 10,000 inmates in 2024 to 76.7 in 2025.

SPS already uses several tools to prevent violence, including anti-violence programs, video monitoring, and systems where inmates can report problems. The PROTECT robot is meant to add another layer of safety on top of these existing measures. By letting the robot handle the first moments of a dangerous situation, officers can spend more time on rehabilitation — helping inmates build better habits so they can stay out of trouble in the future.