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R2-D2: Mall Cop

Posted by samzenpus on from the these-are-not-the-sales-you-are-looking-for dept.

theodp writes "'The night watchman of the future,' explains the NY Times' John Markoff, 'is 5 feet tall, weighs 300 pounds and looks a lot like R2-D2 – without the whimsy. And will work for $6.25 an hour.' California-based Knightscope has developed a mobile robot known as the K5 Autonomous Data Machine as a safety and security tool for corporations, as well as for schools and neighborhoods. 'But what is for some a technology-laden route to safer communities and schools,' writes Markoff, 'is to others an entry point to a post-Orwellian, post-privacy world.'"

4 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. I'm sure its nothing by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm sure its nothing that a can of spray-paint and some bubble-gum can't deal with

    1. Re:I'm sure its nothing by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, because people have a right to privacy while breaking into a warehouse. Why is this news anyway? Security robots have been around for more than a decade, and this one doesn't seem to have any sensors or capabilities that are new or different. Even the "rent-by-the-hour" option is not new. It seems overpriced for something that is basically just a wifi camera with wheels.

  2. Man invents new Security Camera! by Amtrak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    “We founded Knightscope after what happened at Sandy Hook,” said William Santana Li

    Seriously! How is an unarmed rolling video camera going to stop some idiot with a gun. Most of the time these gun toting phyco's are looking for fame to spread their "message" this will only make it worse.

    The only solutions to guns are to 1.) keep the crazy's from getting guns 2.) Make sure trusted people with guns are there to stop them if step 1 fails. 3.) Make it hard for them to get at valuables (people or stuff) even if they have a gun through physical security. Anything else is just a waste of time and money IMHO.

  3. Re:Don't get to cocky about your options ... by mlts · · Score: 4, Insightful

    More likely, it would be considered a violent felony to "tamper with a monitoring device used for law enforcement purposes" or some other stuff like that, with 20 minimum as a penalty.

    Same reason that the red light and speed trap cameras don't get shot up.