Drunk Man Arrested After Attacking Armless Security Robot The Knightscope K5 robot was on patrol in a Mountain View parking lot when the incident occurred.
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Robots are slowly starting to appear in our daily lives as they compliment existing jobs or replace them completely. One of the robots we are sure to see more of in future is Knightscope. It's a 300-pound security robot capable of autonomously patrolling an area using numerous sensors to detect guns and suspicious activity in general.
One such Knightscope robot, a K5 model, is tasked with patrolling a parking lot located near Terra Bella and Linda Vista Avenue in Mountain View. Last week, it was involved in an altercation with a drunk man who proceeded to knock down the robot. Remember, this is just a patrolling security robot and it doesn't even have any arms.
According to ABC 7 News, the suspect has been identified as a 41-year-old man. Police have arrested him on prowling and public intoxication charges, and based on all the sensors the K5 uses, it's safe to say the victim probably had a hand in fingering the suspect.
It's unclear why he attacked the robot, but it was clearly an unfair fight. The K5 can't exactly defend itself and is only programmed to patrol around, look for suspicious behavior and report back. As the suspect was drunk, the excuse for knocking the robot over may be as simple as "it looked at me funny." However, last year a K5 did accidentally knock down and run over a child in a shopping mall. Could there be more to this incident, then?
Anyone concerned about the injuries this robot sustained during the attack will be relieved to hear only minor scratches were inflicted. In fact, the robot is already back out on patrol and helping to keep local residence safe. Or at least, diverting any drunken anger towards itself.
