A robot will take care of security in New York

Photo: Knightscope

The New York City Police Department is reviving the idea of robot patrols. In 2021, the department experimented with Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot, but the project was scrapped after public outcry from civil liberties groups. The idea is being revived by New York City’s new mayor, Eric Adams, who was elected in 2022 and repeatedly described himself as a “computer geek” during his campaign. Adams is a former NYPD chief who ran on a promise to focus his efforts on reducing crime.

Most police departments already have a portfolio of robots, but they are usually designed for bomb disposal, not for the day-to-day patrolling that New York envisions. Bomb disposal robots are usually just sophisticated remote-controlled cars—in this context, fairly “dumb” remote-controlled devices that require one or more humans to operate. New York, however, wants semi-autonomous robots that patrol the streets automatically. “If we’re not willing to move forward and use technology to properly secure our cities, then we can’t keep up with the crime wave,” says the mayor.

The NYPD plans to use the Knightscope K5 robot for active patrolling. It is a 181 kg and 152 cm tall robot on wheels that resembles the cute robot R2-D2 from the Star Wars universe. The egg-shaped robot has no limbs and is mostly just a sphere with many sensors. It has a 360-degree camera system, thermal camera, LiDAR, sonar, GPS, 16 microphones and speakers to play pre-recorded or real-time messages.

It can automatically patrol a designated area, detect people, and recognize license plates and human faces, although the NYPD says facial recognition will not be used. As a wheeled robot, it can only access pre-defined areas. The K5 is billed as an “autonomous security robot” and was introduced in 2014. K5 units have been in the news in the past for various incidents, such as accidentally driving into a pond and the like. New York will rent the robot for six months at a price of $9 per hour. The robot will have a human partner with it, at least initially.