DC’s RoboCop Commits ‘Robocide’

Knightscope’s K5 security robot was programmed to patrol the Georgetown Waterfront, an upscale D.C. shopping and office complex. It stands five-feet tall, 300 pounds, and shaped like a rocket. K5 can turn, whistle and beep to help human security maintain order. But for reasons we may never know, our journey into the future of policing took an unfortunate turn on Monday as the Dalek-esque robot rolled into a fountain and drowned itself.

Our D.C. office building got a security robot. It drowned itself.

We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots. pic.twitter.com/rGLTAWZMjn

— Bilal Farooqui (@bilalfarooqui) July 17, 2017

When it’s working properly, the robot scans its environment for potential security risks via microphones, video cameras and various sensors. (Future models will include gun detection and artificial intelligence.) Identifying a potential threat, the robot can sound a car-like alarm and report the security risk to the authorities.

"We have a new sheriff in town," MRP Realty announced on Facebook last week when unveiling the security robot.

Proponents of the K5 argue that it’s a good deal for places wanting a cheap security patrol: rental prices begin at $7 an hour, which is 25 cents below the federal minimum wage. Uber uses K5s to patrol certain parking lots. Another selling point is that the hefty robot can withstand an attack and supposedly never gets bored of dull and repetitive patrols. Human security officers may get bored on the job, but they clearly have a greater will to live.

Knightscope said the robot suicide ("robocide") was “an isolated event” and promised to deliver a new K5 to D.C. for free. Hopefully, the next model will be waterproof.

--Josh Herman

(Photo Credit @gregpinelo via Twitter)