A 135kg security robot at the Stanford Shopping Centre knocked down and ran over a 16-month-old boy. The parents of the injured boy are understandably pissed, claiming that the autonomous machine is dangerous.
The Knightscope K5 security robot (image: Knightscope)
“The robot hit my son’s head and he fell down facing down on the floor and the robot did not stop and it kept moving forward,” noted the boy’s mum, Tiffany Teng, in an ABC7 News report. “He was crying like crazy and he never cries. He seldom cries.”
5 foot tall, 300lb security robot @StanfordShop injures 16 month old boy. Parents upset. #paloalto pic.twitter.com/CVfrqrkNh6
— Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) July 12, 2016
The toddler, named Harwin, was allegedly assaulted by the shopping centre’s security robot, which stands 1.5m tall and weighs 135kg. Harwin didn’t suffer any serious injuries, but the robot ran over his right foot causing it to swell. He also got a nasty scrape on his leg from the incident. The parents said the machine is dangerous, and they’re hoping to get the word out to prevent others from getting hurt.
16 mo old has injuries to leg, foot after @StanfordShop security robot knocks him down and runs him over. #paloalto pic.twitter.com/tJdDNeFJq1
— Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) July 12, 2016
The robot is developed by Knightscope, a Silicon Valley startup located in Mountain View (the robot happens to bear the name of its manufacturer). The current version, the K5 beta prototype, is a fully autonomous robot that’s used to deter and detect crime. To that end, it’s equipped with a battery of instruments, including a video camera, thermal imaging sensors, a laser range finder, radar, air quality sensors and a microphone.
When the Knightscope K5 senses trouble, it alerts local authorities — though it didn’t seem particularly concerned when it plowed into the toddler earlier this week. Little is known about the incident, but the robot’s sensors didn’t seem to detect Harwin — and that’s obviously a problem. This Knightscope K5 unit, which began its duties at the shopping centre last year, will undoubtedly come into contact with other pint-sized shoppers.
Gizmodo reached out to Knightscope for comment, but had not received a response at time of writing.