The robot cop was deployed by the New York Police Department (NYPD) late this September.
About its description, Nina explains that is 5'2, 398-pound, equipped with four HD wide-angle cameras, one infrared thermal camera, 16 microphones, and wheels. The K5 security robot, accompanied by an officer, works at the subway station between midnight and 6 a.m..
She explains that when she came closer to the robot, its cameras came to her face level. She followed the robot while it rolled down the hallway. The dirty white subway wall tiles mirrored the blue fluorescent lights flashing across K5's armour as it moved.
“As if suspicious of my stalking, it stopped and stared back at me. Its movements felt so uncanny that at that moment, and -- I know this sounds silly -- I was waiting for it to say something to me,” said Nina.
Amid a shortage in recruitment in the department, New York City has recently started renting the ‘security camera on wheels’ for $9 an hour (which is below the $15 minimum wage) since the city finds it more “cost-efficient way to bring about safety,” said Mayor Eric Adams in a Joint press conference in September where the robot was first introduced.
In the wake of the thriving technological developments, police departments and privately-owned businesses have started deploying robots like K5 as lower-cost crime reduction alternatives to security guards and police. Some are responding to 911 calls or disarming bombs. However, the majority of them only record cameras in public areas and store the footage in a database that departments and business owners can view through a screen to keep an eye out for suspicious conduct.
The NYPD and Knightscope, the self-driving autonomous security company behind the K5 robot, said they think the robot might serve as both physical deterrents to crime and on-the-ground eyes to capture criminals for potential prosecution. Because of robot security, more crimes are anticipated to be captured on camera and the offenders will become more aware of where and when they commit one.
However, on the contrary, privacy advocates argue that these kinds of bots pose a ‘security threat’ at best and state-approved spying at worst.