5-foot-tall ‘Robocops’ start patrolling Silicon Valley

[Natural Citizen]

5-foot-tall ‘Robocops’ start patrolling Silicon Valley

Photo from knightscope.com

Autonomous “Robocop”-style robots, equipped with microphones, speakers, cameras, laser scanners and sensors, have started to guard Silicon Valley.

The security robots, called Knightscope K5 Autonomous Data Machines, were designed by a robotics company, Knightscope, located in Mountain View, California.

The robots are programmed to notice unusual behavior and alert controllers.

Continued - 5-foot-tall ‘Robocops’ start patrolling Silicon Valley


Ah, well. I imagine that this kind of technology is often overlooked if we only go to Silicon Valley to look at tablets and apps and whatnot.

Relevant reading... ATLAS Is Getting Faster and Faster At Simple Human Tasks

 

[Anti Federalist]

The robots are programmed to notice unusual behavior and alert controllers

Fail, the future is.

 

[puppetmaster]

Wait no laser beams.....? Would be fun to mess with.

 

[Natural Citizen]

As always...the people will love them for it.

 

[FindLiberty]

I hope it remains unarmed and that it's ALWAYS polite...

 

[Natural Citizen]

I hope it remains unarmed and that it's ALWAYS polite...

Hal 9000 was polite. Of course, he ended up over-riding his controllers. I suppose that it was just a movie, though. Heh...

There is a larger question here. What happens when these machines become the prescription fillers? The pill counters? Teachers? Crossing guards? Policemen....

 

[pessimist]

 

[FloralScent]

I hope it remains unarmed and that it's ALWAYS polite...

I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Suzanimal]

EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE...

We need a Doctor! Paging Dr Paul!!!

I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Occam's Banana]

What happens when these machines become the prescription fillers? The pill counters? Teachers? Crossing guards? Policemen....

 

[anaconda]

Seems like constitutional protections might be better achieved with robots than with the current group of human cops. Unless they plug in a corruption activating chip or something. Or an emotion chip like Commander Data's brother "Lore."

 

[squarepusher]

they should be armed

 

[RonPaulIsGreat]

Given a choice to run to a robot or a stranger in a dangerous situation, I think I'd run to the robot.

People aren't so hot you know, we just complain about them every day.

We should feel blessed to be the first species that will witness our own extinction, and continue on as a new one.

 

[Czolgosz]

Act soon, before these idiots get us all killed.

 

[buck000]

Not that I'm advocating this or anything, but


Ninja robot tippers.


Nah, that'll probably be assault on a police officer.


I wonder WTF the programming really is for 'unusual behavior'...?

 

[Danke]

Will it have the same rights and privileges as a police dog?

 

[phill4paul]

Will it have the same rights and privileges as a police dog?

Hut, Hut, Hut, Hut...



The US military has unveiled its latest piece of hardware - a robotic dog.

The AlphaDog - developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) - obeys commands through a touchscreen device.

It can stand upright, walk for 20 miles without a break and carry up to 400lbs.

A video produced by Darpa demonstrates the robot's skills.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19567351

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Look, basically some company spent years and years developing this technology, only in the end to have no buyers. They desperately went all around the country hawking their wares to various precincts, and they finally found some open minded people in Silicon Valley who would give it a try.

This is the power of a special interest lobby, whether it's military technology or what. No matter how ridiculous it is, no matter how ineffective it is, it's going to be deployed, because they need to recoup their losses.

 

[jbauer]

Wonder if it bullet-proof?

And HOLY FK. What has happened to our world? I'm in my 30's. Atari and Simon were advanced computer technology.

The end is near.

 

[FindLiberty]

Not quite,

It's only the beginning of the end...