SECURITY, SAFETY, PRIVACY

Enhancing Security in Saudi Arabia

Malls by Using IoT Sensors and
Robots

by
Ali Al-Habbibi III
Major: Control and Instrumentation Engineering

For
Academic & Professional Communication
English 214

Abstract

This report argues the importance of using IoT sensors and robots in Saudi Arabia malls due to
security, practical, and social benefits. Additionally, the report addresses the concern related to
using IoT sensors and robots in Saudi Arabia malls.

15 April 2023
 Table of Content

List of Illustrations....................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................2
I. ENHANCING SECURITY THROUGH IOT SENSORS IN SAUDI ARABIA MALLS.................3
I.A. Security Systems Depend on Using IoT Sensors in Saudi Arabia Malls..............................................3
I.A.1. Surveillance.......................................................................................................3

I.A.2. Facial recognition..............................................................................................3

I.B. Applications of Using IoT Sensors in Saudi Arabia Malls...................................................................4

I.B.1. Retail stores.......................................................................................................4

I.B.2. Inventory...........................................................................................................4

II. IMPROVING SECURITY THROUGH ROBOTS IN SAUDI ARABIA MALLS..........................5

II.A. Using Robots in Dangerous Situations................................................................................................5
II.A.1. Firefighting.......................................................................................................5

II.A.2. Crime prevention..............................................................................................5

II.B. Using Robots in Helping Costumers...................................................................................................6

III. DRAWBACKS OF USING IOT SENSORS AND ROBOTS IN SAUDI ARABIA MALLS........6
III.A. Increasing Unemployment Rates.......................................................................................................6
III.B. Cyberattack Threats...........................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................8
RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................9

List of Illustrations

Figures

Figure 1 The Percentage of Causes of Inventory Shrinking ...........................................................5

Figure 2 Task Hours Estimation for Robots and Humans in 2030 .................................................8

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INTRODUCTION

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new technology based on networking and sharing data

between devices and humans. IoT technology covers a broad area of devices and machines, and

two of the essential fields that need IoT are sensors and robotics. IoT sensors are devices that can

be used in various applications as they can detect everything. On the other hand, robots are

machines that can perform a huge number of tasks in every field. Nowadays, combining IoT

sensors and robots would improve human lives in different aspects. One of the important aspects

is security. Security is a significant need in every country to provide convenient lives.

Consequently, IoT sensors and robots will help in enhancing security in Saudi Arabia.

Nowadays, the number of crimes in malls is increasing significantly due to old security

systems. Because of these problems, Saudi Arabia malls need to improve their security systems

by introducing new technologies and methods. The particular purpose of this report is to enhance

security in Saudi Arabia malls by using robots and IoT sensors to help with security guards.

This report will concentrate on the security and practical benefits of using IoT sensors in

Saudi Arabia malls, also the security and social benefits of robots. It will not provide detail on

algorithms and codes that are used in IoT technologies. It should interest researchers in the future

security field and the founders of Saudi Arabia malls.

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I. ENHANCING SECURITY THROUGH IOT SENSORS IN SAUDI ARABIA

MALLS

The following sections discuss methods to improve security in Saudi Arabia malls by

using IoT sensors in different mall facilities.

I.A. Security Systems Depend on Using IoT Sensors in Saudi Arabia Malls

This section recommends new security technologies depending on IoT sensors to develop

security in Saudi Arabia malls.

I.A.1. Surveillance

A major security benefit of using IoT sensors in Saudi Arabia malls is surveillance. To

begin with, most Saudi Arabia malls use regular cameras for their monitoring system, and these

cameras can display photos and videos only. As a result, using IoT sensors in monitoring could

improve security by connecting cameras to different units. Furthermore, connecting cameras

with doors will allow IoT devices to act automatically in suspicious situations. To elaborate,

when an IoT camera detects a shoplifting attempt, it will close doors that are near to thieves and

send an alarm to the control room spontaneously. Moreover, Sharma and Singh (2022) state that

the regular surveillance system, which is used for monitoring only, is not sufficient these days.

This demonstrates that new monitoring technologies like IoT sensors need to be introduced to

enhance mall safety.

I.A.2. Facial recognition

Another significant security benefit of using IoT sensors in Saudi Arabia malls is the

facial recognition system. To start with, IoT scanning sensors can improve mall security in

different aspects, such as facial recognition and visitor screening. Using IoT in facial recognition

would enhance mall safety by allowing staff only to enter specific places and could also prevent

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crime before it happens. To illustrate, IoT sensors relate to a police database to have information

about criminals' faces. Furthermore, IoT scanning sensors check visitors’ faces at the gate, and if

the face matches a wanted person, the sensor will give an alarm. In addition, Wang and Siddique

(2022) found that IoT facial recognition has an accuracy of 90% in detecting wanted people. This

shows that even when a customer is covering their face or walking the system is reliable.

I.B. Applications of Using IoT Sensors in Saudi Arabia Malls

This section suggests using IoT sensors in two specific mall facilities to enhance security

in Saudi Arabia malls.

I.B.1. Retail stores

Using IoT sensors in Saudi Arabia malls has practical benefits also. One important

application is using IoT sensors in retail stores. In retail stores, usually, customers spend much

time and may get lost while searching for their wanted product. Thus, IoT sensors introduced a

new system to detect customer location inside the retail store and display it in the phone

application. Additionally, the visitor can enter the name or a photo of their desired product, and

with the help of IoT sensors, the application will give exact instructions to the customers until

reaching their destination. Moreover, guiding visitors using IoT sensors and smartphones has a

98% accuracy rate. (Cruz et al., 2018). This indicates that even though it is a new system, it is

dependable.

I.B.2. Inventory

Another practical benefit of using IoT sensors in Saudi Arabia malls is using them in

inventories. To begin with, inventories are exposed to thieves due to the massive number of

products inside them. Inventory is a significant part of malls that could cost a huge amount of

money, according to Mohr (2019), one of the famous malls lost around 50 million dollars in one

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year due to thieves in its inventory. There are two criteria of inventory loss, as shown in figure 1,

64% of inventory shrinkage is due to operations, and operations are consisting of employers’

actions such as errors and fraud. As a result, mall investors should find a solution to reduce

human employees to increase the security of the mall. Nowadays, IoT sensors could be a

suitable solution for improving inventory safety. To elaborate, IoT sensors will monitor the

inventory constantly and regularly send information to the controller room and police station.

Also, IoT sensors would use facial recognition to detect criminals and send an alarm with the

exact location. Lastly, IoT sensors could make some actions automatically to prevent crimes.

Figure 1

The Percentage of Causes of Inventory Shrinking.

Note. The above figure shows the percentage of operation and theft contributions in inventory

shrinking from 2016 to 2022. From Hoffman (2023).

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II. IMPROVING SECURITY THROUGH ROBOTS IN SAUDI ARABIA MALLS

The following sections highlight approaches to improve security in Saudi Arabia malls by

depending on robots for different types of tasks.

II.A. Using Robots in Dangerous Situations.

This section states dangerous missions that robots could handle to ensure security in

Saudi Arabia malls.

II.A.1. Firefighting

Using robots in Saudi Arabia malls would enhance security in many aspects, especially in

a dangerous situation such as fire extinguishing. To start with, there is a type of robot that is

expert in fire extinguishing called a Firefighting robot. These new kinds of robots are designed to

achieve the most crucial benefit of using robots which is to reduce human deaths from

firefighters and citizens. Firefighting robots can reach places that human firefighters cannot. For

instance, small paths, scorching places, and low-oxygen rooms. Furthermore, Firefighting robots

provide firewalls to protect human Firefighters. Moreover, using Firefighting robots in fire

extinguishing could prevent 89% of human Firefighters’ deaths (Rolden-Gomez et al., 2020).

This indicates that Firefighting robots will benefit not only people stuck in the fire but also the

Firefighters themselves.

II.A.2. Crime prevention

A further security benefit of using robots in Saudi Arabia malls is crime prevention. To

start with, there is a type of robot designed to arrest and stop people called a police robot.

Furthermore, police robots are immune to physical danger, so facing criminals with guns would

be an easy job for the robots. Moreover, police robots could be connected to the IoT sensors in

the malls to instantaneously receive information about criminals’ locations and identities. Lastly,

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the robot has no emotions, which increases its thinking level. Oppositely, human security guard

feelings could lead to disasters. Thomas (2022) states that people are more dangerous and could

do unpredictable actions when scared. This demonstrates that police robots are more efficient

than human when it comes to risky and emotional situations.

II.B. Using Robots in Helping Costumers

Using robots in Saudi Arabia malls also has social benefits. To begin with, robots can

provide physical and verbal assistance to visitors. Oral aid is one of the most important services

that should be provided in every mall. Saudi Arabian malls are using maps and signposts to

guide visitors to their wanted stores, but many customers still need to ask staff for directions.

Robots can give more professional instructions to visitors. Furthermore, customers, especially

children find interaction with robots more comfortable than with human staff. Additionally,

robots can give specific information about any product in the mall, such as price and catalogue.

Chen et al. (2017) state that 64% of customers find robots more practical and beneficial than

humans in giving information and directions. This shows that people accept the idea of using

social robots in the mall.

III. DRAWBACKS OF USING IOT SENSORS AND ROBOTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

MALLS

The following sections argue two common concerns of using IoT sensors and robots in

Saudi Arabia malls. Furthermore, elaboration on the weakness of these setbacks will be given in

these sections.

III.A. Increasing Unemployment Rates

Despite the need for IoT sensors and robots in Saudi Arabia malls, many people have a

contrary opinion. Some of them have a negative perspective toward robots and IoT sensors, and

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they argue that using robots in malls will increase unemployment rates in Saudi Arabia

significantly. Nevertheless, this argument is weak. Automation robots are indeed going to

replace a noticeable number of jobs, but they will also create new opportunities in different

fields. To illustrate, robots and IoT sensors need programming experts, designers, and human

monitors. Furthermore, robots will not be able to replace most human being these years. As

shown in figure 2, the pie chart represents the percentage of predicted contribution hours in 2030

for robots and humans in different fields. Thus, despite automation's future intentions, humans

are playing a significant role in the labour market in the next decade.

Figure 2

Task Hours Estimation for Robots and Humans in 2030.

Note. The above figure shows the predicted percentage of task hours in jobs in 2030. From Flynn

(2023).

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III.B. Cyberattack Threats

Cyberattack threats are another idea that people argue for using IoT sensors and robots in

security. They argue that it is easy for hackers to access the information stored in IoT sensors and

robotics systems since they are all programming devices. However, this argument is fragile.

Although there are threats and cyberattacks that programming devices cannot defeat, there are

emergency systems to prevent information leakage. To elaborate, when an IoT sensor or robot

database is exposed to cyberattack, the software will shut down automatically and isolate itself

from other devices to prevent the virus from spreading. Furthermore, dangerous attacks against

autonomous systems are coming from human errors. According to Bennett (2023), 63% of

successful attacks come from internal sources, such as inserting flash drives in the main

computer and phishing emails. This means that more than half of effective attacks are due to

humans, not because of the vulnerability of the IoT sensor or the robot.

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CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this report has clarified the importance of utilizing IoT sensors and robots

in Saudi Arabia malls. It can be seen from the paper that Saudi Arabia malls could enhance their

security by using IoT sensors in different facilities due to security and practical benefits.

Additionally, using robots in Saudi Arabia malls would critically impact other aspects like

security and social perspectives. On the other hand, the report has argued the counter ideas of

using IoT sensors and robots in Saudi Arabia malls, which are increasing unemployment rates

and concerns of cyberattacks. As a result, Saudi Arabia mall investors should give these new

systems a chance despite obstacles.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Mall investors may find it difficult and expensive to start using IoT sensors and robots in

the malls. Thus, the following recommendations can help to make the operation easier:

1- These technologies are the future of the country. So, mall investors should contact

the government to collaborate.

2- These systems reduce human danger significantly. So, police should cooperate with

mall investors.

3- Mall investors should not replace all human security guards with IoT sensors and

robots.

Word count: 1879

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