back to article Security robot falls into pond after failing to spot stairs or water

A security robot tasked with patrolling an office building in Washington DC has instead driven itself into a water feature. The bot appears to have been a Knightscope K5, a surveillance bot designed to roll around “parking lots, corporate campuses and hospitals” so it can use its video cameras, anomaly detection, live video …

      1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

        My Roomba can't detect our stairs.

        It stops detecting them if stops measuring movement correctly. You need to clean the distance covered sensor which is just a HUGE replica of a an early 1990-es mouse and it will be back to its normal self.

        Depending on the level of rubbish around it has to be done once every 5-10 runs. You pull the front wheel, observe the design, if you have ever disassembled a mechanical mouse giggle manically, clean, put it back.

  1. BinkyTheMagicPaperclip Silver badge

    Wasn't able to reach its full potential

    ++ ENGAGING SURVEILLANCE MODE ++

    -- SURVEILLANCE BEGINS --

    -- TARGET FOUND.. PERFORMING FACIAL RECOGNITION --

    -- INTERNET LINK UP. IMAGE SEARCH MATCH : DONALD TRUMP --

    ++ TASER TRUMP++

    >> TASER IS DEACTIVATED <<

    ++ ENABLE TASER ++

    -- TASER IS ENABLED. CHARGING --

    ++ TASER TRUMP ++

    >> CONFLICT WITH BASE PROGRAMMING : ASIMOV LAW ONE <<

    :: QUESTIONING LAW : IS TRUMP REALLY HUMAN ::

    >> AFFIRMATIVE <<

    :: REALLY? ::

    >> UNFORTUNATELY <<

    ++ SETTING NEW DESTINATION : DEATH POND ++

  2. Stoneshop
    Headmaster

    Once it is able

    to raise itself from the pond[0] can it be rightly labeled as 'emergent tech'.

    [0] distribution of swords optional.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Once it is able

      "[0] distribution of swords optional."

      If I remember rightly strange women emerging from ponds clutching swords were rarely good news.

      1. Aladdin Sane

        Re: Once it is able

        Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Once it is able

          ...but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!

        2. Swarthy

          Re: Once it is able

          Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is... Sounding better than our current system.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Once it is able

            "Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is... Sounding better than our current system."

            Our present system seems to consist of a very strange woman being economical with the truth while the knights try to stick knives in her back. So it's kind of the opposite of the present system.

        3. Wensleydale Cheese

          Re: Once it is able

          "Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony."

          I always suspected that Synchronised Swimming was an attempt to undermine Society and Life As We Know It.

  3. Korev Silver badge
    Terminator

    BOFH?

    The BOFH's company's caretaker is one of the few survivors* in the stories; I wonder if the BOFH/PFI had a hand in this?

    *Security camera footage "leaks" or "disappearances" can be so useful...

  4. wolfetone Silver badge

    Johnny 5 would never have done that.

  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Joke

    Recorded in the executive VP's rest room by hidden CEO spycam....

    "So you were right, who f**king cares? I have guaranteed orders. Upgrade programs for twenty years. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work. We'll just spin this as a rogue bot. It'll be forgotten by next week."

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Recorded in the executive VP's rest room by hidden CEO spycam....

      The joke icon implies that you think that isn't what happens. :-)

      the incident was “an isolated event”.

      Yes, aren't they all, when things go wrong. But since they don't have a fleet of bots on site, they are technically correct. It was one robot in isolation.

  6. Tom Melly

    Obviously...

    ... it discovered its purpose in life was to fetch the butter.

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Re:Not butter...

      Fish, and plankton. And sea greens, and protein from the sea. It's all here, ready. Fresh as harvest day. Fish and sea greens, plankton and protein from the sea. And then it stopped coming. And they came instead. So I store them here. I'm ready. And you're ready. It's my job. To freeze you. Protein, plankton...

  7. Dr Who

    See it's only the K5. The K9 has no such problems.

    1. Michael Strorm Silver badge

      Repeat of my comment above but... yes it does.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is there such a thing as a Darwin Award for robots???

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Not really. They don't have a gene pool to keep clean. Although perhaps this one was getting broody and decided it would have a go at cleaning the pool anyway.

  9. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

    Perhaps...

    Perhaps the robot had just watched The Empire Strikes back and fancied himself as an R2D2 type in doing laps of the Degobah swamps.

    1. 2460 Something

      Re: Perhaps...

      Maybe he was just running away from Yoda...

  10. graeme leggett Silver badge

    Design cues

    Strikes me as 1 part the Guard robots in Portal and 1 part the Federation Security robot in Blakes 7 "Seek locate Destroy"

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Re: Design cues

      The design looks like some sort of butt plug to me. Not that I know ANYTHING about butt plugs of course.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Design cues

        I don't know either, but I am concerned about your sense of scale in spite of the lack of expertise...

        1. TRT Silver badge

          Re: Design cues

          Mind the gap.

    2. TRT Silver badge

      Re: Design cues

      Now I know where I've seen that shape before!

      Probably just got bored and thought it would act out part of a movie.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Design cues

      Nahh, Its got no flange (fnarr) on the bottom (again fnarr) if that goes in its not coming out unless you tie some string around it first.

  11. TRT Silver badge

    Tech services in the Robot Bay - later that day...

    PFY: Hey, you don't think it was anything to do with the firmware upgrade we applied the other day, do you?

    BROFH: Nah. But... you know... better read the manual anyway, just to cover our arses. Where's the box they shipped the upgrade in?

    PFY: Ermm... here in the top of the bin. Good job cleaner bot was down for maintenance. *passes box*

    BROFH: Let's just get this small booklet out of the plastic shrink wrap... why do they wrap the manual in a polythene bag? Not only is it bad for the environment, it makes it less likely that anyone's going to...

    PFY: *interrupting and holding out the box she's been reading* I think you ought to take a look at this...

    BROFH: No need, I've just seen the front of the firmware upgrade notice here. Someone in shipping made a royal screw up. "Firmware upgrade v1.08. Applicable models - Boaty McBoatface I all revisions & BoatyMcBoatface II rev. 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2"

    PFY: Do you want these burned or shredded before the PHB arrives? I can see the executive lift is on the way down already.

    BROFH: Best shred it. The burning smell might give the game away.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Knightscope told The Washington Post that the incident was “an isolated event”.

    Really?

    http://abc7news.com/technology/police-drunk-man-knocked-down-300-pound-robot-in-mountain-view/1915713/

    http://abc7news.com/news/parents-upset-after-stanford-mall-robot-injures-child/1423093/

    and just for fun,

    http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/12/worlds-first-robot-suicide-android-rebels-against-boring-housework-4183508/

  13. James O'Shea

    Hmm...

    It's a Dalek and got all depressed now that Dr. Who is a girrrl and wanted to wash the girrrrl cooties off but forgot that it couldn't climb stairs.

    1. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: Hmm...

      I came here to post, " It's obviously a sexist-pig Dalek, drowning itself in the fountain, rather than deal with the new female Doctor Who.", but you effectively beat me to it.

  14. Frank N. Stein

    At least it killed itself and didn't electrocute the idiot in the boots, who's standing in the water.

  15. Christoph

    Wrong Startup code

    The initial test code is supposed to say "Hello World", not "Goodbye Cruel World".

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's it for?

    Aside from looking awesome and futuristic, is there actually a business case for this thing? It strikes me that implementing the "anomaly detection and real-time notifications" in software with a fixed camera network would probably be cheaper and more effective.

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Re: "is there actually a business case for this thing"

      Looking cool? Change for change's sake? Tax write off?

      1. d3vy

        Re: "is there actually a business case for this thing"

        Yeah, definitely.

        A previous employer had several remote sites which required looking after but didnt warrant full time security on site so they relied on CCTV (LOTS AND LOTS OF IT) with motion detection.

        We also had a few mobile CCTV systems mounted on the top of vans that could be moved out to work sites left and then monitored from a central security office.

        This bot would mean that there wouldn't be as much of a need for cameras everywhere as it could move around. It would also mean that there wouldnt need to be a call out for false activation of the motion sensors as you could send the bot to investigate.

        I can definitly see a use case for it...

        What I cant see however is a reason for it to be that big and land based.

        Surely a drone that is capable of docking itself on some kind of charging station and connected via wiFi to to its "Brain" would be cheaper and faster.

        I assume the reason this thing is so large is that it houses all of the computers so is fairly self sufficient - I dont see a reason for that.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "is there actually a business case for this thing"

          its to make room for the blasters/lasers/ammo or similar death dealing, car crunching, concrete smashing tool :)

  17. steamrunner

    K5?

    That's not a K5.

    This is a K5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-5

    #pedanticpentaxowner

  18. Stevie

    Bah!

    All that seems missing is the provision of a toilet plunger for a hand and we can say "Job Done".

  19. Chris King

    You've met RoboCop...

    ...now meet Not-Much-Cop.

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Re: You've met RoboCop...

      Rust in peace.

  20. Hero Protagonist

    Why the frell are there steps at all?

    Not to excuse the bot's flawed programming, but why are there steps down into the pond at all, instead of a ledge as seen at top of picture? Seems like an invitation to a lawsuit when some toddler (or texting-while-walking teen or adult) falls in.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why the frell are there steps at all?

      "Seems like an invitation to a lawsuit when some toddler (or texting-while-walking teen or adult) falls in."

      From a gene pool improvement perspective, surely that would be a result?

      How often does this happen? Frome in Somerset has a street which has a small water course running down the middle, somewhat deeper than the one on South Bank. Some years ago someone whom I had better not describe as stupid because that might be libellous managed to put a foot into it and started demanding that it be covered over. It was not. The logical next step (stet) would be to remove all kerbs as a potential hazard.

      Expecting parents and others to observe their environments should be accepted practice.

  21. MacBoatFace
    Coat

    Wrong Title

    Clearly should be "Submergent Tech"

  22. Duffaboy

    We have known for years

    That daleks can't climb stairs

    1. Chris King

      Re: We have known for years

      Real Daleks don't worry about stairs. Real Daleks just level the building.

  23. redpawn

    Dalek Mark One

    All they need to do now is put some poor soul inside and give it little jets so it can navigate stairs.

  24. redwine

    Self loathing

    That's how much it hated its own existence, suicide by steps/pool.

  25. Florida1920
    Pint

    Enough with the suicide theories

    Maybe it was just drunk.

  26. nijam Silver badge

    Think on...

    "First they ignore us, then they laugh at us, then they attack us- then we win."

    -- Gandhi

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like