NYPD to use autonomous robot in Times Square subway station

The New York Police Department will deploy a robot in the Times Square subway station. The device weighs 190 kilograms, contains four cameras and can put people in touch with the emergency services. There would be no facial recognition software.

The K5 robot was created by Knightscope, a California company, and is already being used by companies to monitor shopping centers, airports, hospitals and other high-traffic places. The device contains no limbs and runs on wheels. It would according to The New York Times cannot record audio, but is able to make moving video images that can be viewed afterwards by law enforcement.

The New York Police Department will deploy the robot from midnight to 6 a.m. over the next two months. The thing will only be active in the central parts of the metro station and will initially not go to the platforms. The device will need time over the next two weeks to map the floor plan of the metro station. The robot is leased and would cost $9 per hour.

This is not the first time the New York City Police Department has used a robot. In 2020, the law enforcement services started using the Digidog: a Spot robot dog from Boston Dynamics. That robot is said to have been used approximately six times and was used in, among other things, hostage situations. The Digidog had lights, a camera, a microphone and a speaker on board. The device was ultimately no longer used because it had sparked discussions among some residents about racism and surveillance.

K5 robot is proposed by New York City Police Department – Source: NPYD via Engadget