It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s a crime-fighting robot!
The “fully autonomous” security robot, weighing almost 400 pounds and standing roughly 5-foot-3, is part of a push by the mayor of New York City for more law-enforcement technology.
The Times reported on Sept. 22:
Its official name is K5, and its California-based maker, Knightscope, describes it as a “fully autonomous outdoor security robot.” It is currently used in hospitals, malls, airports, warehouses and casinos, and will soon be deployed in the Times Square subway station, the city’s busiest underground transit hub.
The robot, armed with four cameras, will record video but not audio. It will not employ facial recognition and — at a moment when the mayor is calling for vital city agencies to slash 5 percent of their budgets — the cost of leasing it averages out to about $9 per hour.
Some have taken a dismissive view, describing the new crime-fighting robot as a “trash can on wheels.” Others have likened it to an oversized version of R2-D2, the droid from the “Star Wars” films. And privacy rights advocates are skeptical, fearing that the latest in surveillance technology will lead to civil rights violations.
What do you think? Would you like a police robot like K5 where you live? Why or why not? Do you think it would improve public safety? Or, present more problems than it might solve?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more about K5 and what it means for the future of crime fighting.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
