Microsoft has recently deployed a fleet of 5-feet-tall, 300-pound robots to protect its Silicon Valley campus. These robots includes 360 degree HD security cameras and sensors to monitor the surroundings. The K5 robots come from a California company called Knightscope. It packs lots of capabilities, for example, It can also read license plates and cross-reference them to see if they’re stolen.
The purpose of the K5, like most robots, is straightforward: To replace expensive human workers. The K5 can run for around 24 hours on a single battery charge, automatically navigates back to the charging point when it’s running low, and only takes 15-20 minutes to recharge. Obviously, in the long run, this is cheaper and more efficient than a human security guard — plus, as technology improves, the K5 will probably be more vigilant and capable of spotting smaller discrepancies than a human. In theory, because of the lower cost, you could also field lots of K5 robots, reducing the number of potential holes in security coverage.
source:microsoft-news
