For those who are fans of robots and robotics, you guys are probably aware of Asimov and his Three Laws of Robotics, or at least the first one that was echoed by Will Smith in the “I, Robot” movie which says, “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”Unfortunately in a rather ironic twist of fate, a robot that was meant to be on the lookout for the welfare and safety of humans has ended up hurting one of them. No, this isn’t the start of Skynet’s takeover of the human race, but rather according to a report from ABC7, a robot security guard – the Knightscope K5 – deployed at the Stanford Shopping Center in Silicon Valley knocked down and ran over the leg of a 16-month old toddler.
According to the toddler’s parents Tiffany Teng, “The robot hit my son’s head and he fell down facing down on the floor and the robot did not stop and it kept moving forward.” The toddler’s leg seems to have swollen from the accident but otherwise there were no particular serious injuries. It might not sound like much but considering that the robot weighs 300 pounds and this is a 16-month old we’re talking about, we reckon it probably hurt quite a bit.
The Knightscope K5 is said to have a commanding physical presence and comes with embedded sensors and cameras used to monitor its surroundings. It is also reportedly cheap as it costs $6.25 an hour to employ, which is why we can see why some places might opt for its user over regular security guards.
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