Security robots patrol on despite mis-step

ON HIS first day at work as a security guard, Steve was greeted warmly, drawing attention from passersby at the stony, retailresidential complex he patrolled.

Then, he fell into the fountain ( right, below).

Steve was a security robot employed by the Washington Harbour centre in the Georgetown district of the US capital.

According to some tech watchers, robots like Steve herald a new era for intelligent machines assisting in crime prevention and law enforcement.

Steve’s mishap in mid-July set of a flurry of reaction on social media, with some saying the robot had ‘drowned’, or committed suicide.

But Steve turned up on Twitter to debunk the fake news: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Still, he had to be sent back to his Silicon headquarters.

And he was replaced by his ‘sibling’ Rosie ( right), who has resumed patrols in the complex.

Steve and Rosie are produced by California tech startup Knightscope, which has raised some US$17 million (RM72.73 million) and includes a team with experience in robotics, law enforcement, artificial intelligence and the automotive sector.

At Washington Harbour, property manager Allison Johnson of MRP Realty said residents and tenants appeared happy to see Steve and Rosie.

“It’s nice to have extra robot eyes on the property,” she said. “There are indications this will be a great addition to the security team.” Valley

The robots a r e equipped with a 360° camera, thermal imaging, automatic licence plate recognition, directional microphones, proximity sensors and other technology.

Their ‘anomaly detection software’ is designed to determine when there is a threat, and alert appropriate authorities.

Knightscope has deployed its 1.5-metre-tall outdoor K5 robots, and the smaller indoor K3 robots at malls and other businesses under a partnership with the security firms. – AFP