The young man assaulted a robot security guard that was quietly roaming a parking lot in California thought that he was being sneaky. However, the robot was watching him the whole time.
The 5-foot-tall, 400-pound K5 robot was reportedly damaged after it was kicked and then toppled over by an unknown assailant on Aug. 3. However, before the attack, K5 was able to capture a short video of the alleged vandal.
The video of the suspect is available at Knightscope's website.
K5: A Robot Security Guard
Hiding from K5 is virtually impossible: the robot is equipped with four cameras and can efficiently track up to 300 license plates within a minute. It can also call the cops for help in case of emergencies.
K5 patrols the multi-level parking lot 24 hours a day and at the speed of 3 miles per hour. Its job is to help human security guards with minor tasks, including scanning a doorway.
According to Knightscope, there are currently about 75 robots deployed in 15 states.
K5's Assault
According to the Hayward Police, K5 was employed to minimize exactly this kind of behavior.
"Someone damaged Knightscope K5," reads a post from the department's official Facebook. "The Knightscope K5 robot is a project that was initiated in response to security and vandalism concerns at the Watkins Street garage."
The authorities are asking that, if they recognize the man who was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans in the video, to contact them at (510) 293-3433.
Knightscope is also hoping that justice will be served for the damaged K5.
"K5 deserves justice ... and dignity," the company said on its website. "Despite what some may think, these robots are just trying to help humans!"
As for the victim, the K5 robot is "expected to make a full & speedy recovery, suffering little to no long term damage."
In 2017, a drunk man was arrested after he had pushed a robot security guard patrolling a location in Mountain View, California.
Knightscope K5 robots also previously made headlines after one of them accidentally knocking over a toddler at a mall in Silicon Valley while another threw itself into a fountain in Washington D.C. Microsoft also has the dalek-looking robots keeping its campuses safe.
