An autonomous robot called Knightscope has begun patrolling the Old Fourth Ward area of Atlanta, where a series of violent crimes have occurred over the past seven months. The robot, which is 6 feet tall and weighs 425 pounds, is designed to make the area safer.
She keeps an eye on what’s happening on the street and if something happens, she passes the information on to the police. Knightscope does not collect personal information from residents.
The area will now be monitored by an autonomous robot called Knightscope. This robot requires no human intervention, monitors incidents and reports them to the operational security center. While it is being configured, it will operate in test mode for several weeks.
Knightscope robots started working in 2015. These robots do not collect any personal information. They only read publicly available data.
“Being in a public place is like being caught by a CCTV camera in a shop or a bank.” explained Stacey Stevens, executive vice president of Knightscope.
Residents speak positively about the robot’s work and express no concerns about a possible breach of their safety. They note that given the recent increase in crime, the issue of privacy has faded into the background. Currently, safety is a priority for them, and the robot helps with that.
Atlanta City Councilman Amir Farokhi said he hopes a new autonomous robot will help reduce crime in the busy area.
Farokhi admitted that he was initially hesitant about the idea because neither the police nor the city had any experience with this type of technology. But he now believes this is the beginning of a new era in public safety and that more of these types of robots will be used in the future.
