Robots have some distinct advantages over humans when it comes to security. A robot security guard never falls asleep on the job, doesn’t take bathroom breaks and can see in the dark.
But a man in Mountain View, California found one area where robots don’t have the upper hand, at least for now. CNET reports that a drunk man pushed over one of Knightscope’s K5 security robots, right outside the company’s headquarters.
The tipped-over robot, which weighs 300 pounds and stands at over 5 feet tall, was able to alert authorities to a disturbance on the property, and when they arrived, the visibly intoxicated man tried to claim he was an engineer “testing” the robot.
The K5 robot does provide some great benefits for business security. Not only does it have a deterrence effect, but it can also record security footage as it patrols, monitor for unauthorized movement around a property and sound an alarm when intrusion is detected.
However, many of those advantages can come from far simpler security systems — and ones that don’t fall over. Homeowners can invest in DIY options like those from LiveWatch, which offer plenty of smart features and monitoring. Or you can opt for standalone smart-home gadgets that can alert you to possible security risks.
This isn’t the first time a Knightscope robot has shown the vulnerability of mechanized security. Last year, one of their robots allegedly injured a child at a mall. The 300-pound machine rolled over the boy’s foot after knocking him down.
