Watch The Robot That Keeps Us Safe In Action

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Robotic cops have been mainstay of popular consciousness for decades now, at least since the 1987 release of RoboCop. And while the robotic revolution might one day end humanity’s rule over the planet, for the time being machines will be tasked with protecting us from each other. At least, if one company’s vision proves successful.

Knightscope’s K5 security robot looks like the illegitimate love child of R2D2 and a Dalek from Dr Who, though it probably won’t try to communicate with you in beeps and bleeps like the former, nor have the impressive extermination capabilities of the latter.

The K5 is equipped with sophisticated monitoring and broadcasting equipment, designed to keep public space safe as the machines patrol open areas and building in search of suspicious activity. They’re furnished with 360-degree, high-definition, low-light infrared cameras that persistently upload everything the robot sees to a backend security network. An audio event detection system can pick up on and alert to such activities as gunshots and breaking glass. The K5 also has a built-in speaker to communicate with passersby.

The units are already operational in the offices of several Silicon Valley companies and a shopping mall. While the company doesn’t see its robots completely replacing security guards in the near future, it does envision them providing assistance to human security teams. For the time being, Knightscope rents out each 1.5m, 136kg K5 for $6.25 per hour – less than the California minimum wage.

Here is how it looks:

For the next phase, the company is developing an integrated security network for public spaces, that will be able monitor and report suspicious activity in real time based on robotic observation, and could be potentially used to predict and respond to tense and violent developments.