The grow facility, Canndescent, received approval from Desert Hot Springs officials to test out the Sharp Intellos, which patrols the perimeter of the property.

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. – As physical security systems become increasingly essential in the marijuana industry, robots and drones could one day soon be called into action full time to secure grow facilities and dispensaries.

As reported by Forbes, a grow facility in this Southern California desert community in the Coachella Valley is currently testing a Sharp Intellos Automated Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) to patrol its outdoor crop.

Todd Kleperis, CEO of Hardcar Security, which provides security services to the marijuana industry, told Forbes that using a robot in the evening to patrol a company’s inventory of marijuana plants saves money and is more effective.

“At night guards sleep, they play video games and spend time on social media. It’s fraught with human error,” he said.

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Kleperis states it’s safer for human security guards to use robots. “If you’ve ever been shot at, it’s very scary. These robots can take a gunshot better than a human.” They don’t shoot back at intruders, though Kleperis said that they are considering adding a pepper spray function. The mission of the robot is to detect whether anything is wrong, and alert human monitors.

The grow facility, Canndescent, received approval from Desert Hot Springs officials to test out the Sharp Intellos, which patrols the perimeter of the property. The company produces premium marijuana flower and is keen on protecting its investment.

Elsewhere, the cannabis delivery company Eaze recently demonstrated the use of a drone for a delivery at the Cannabis Cup in San Bernadino, Calif. Eaze doesn’t actually own any drones nor do any dispensaries employ their use at this time, but Eaze expects at some point they will be used, Sheena Shiravi, a spokesperson for Eaze, told Forbes. “We see it in the future. It’s on the horizon.”