"Is it just me, or do you expect them to yell “EXTERMINATE!”?" Topic

Welcome in the robot overlords!
link

I dunno— maybe a little too Dalek in appearance?

If its less than 300 lbs, looks like a great thing to steal and sell for parts

I give it a week before it is covered in graffiti

One of these was already noted for running over a kids foot about a year ago. At least something like that was the headline.

Looks a bit more like EVE from Wall-E to me. Or a mobile trashcan. Personally I'm waiting for the Macross vending machine that follow you around trying to sell you stuff.

Making sure no one smuggles in a 20 oz Coke cup.

I would worry if it said 'You have 20 seconds to comply!'

Makes me want to go bowling…

You really think you're gonna get a 20 second warning?

Dan

I presume that this a Doctor Who reference?
I may have heard of him.

Those are gonna get trashed pretty fast, what a dumb idea.

And the people reporting this are CBS2. I hereby nominate CB-S2 for a lead roll as a droid in the next Star Wars movie. Can't do any worse than the meat people they've been using lately.

The security droid gets a walk-on, but they have to get it a better paint job.

Does it/can it vacuum and mop?

If so, it might be perfect to help clean up the fetid streets of SF, I hear about in the news, which probably should be made into a TV horror show, as a sequel to the original Streets of SF series.

Wonder how long before someone paints over the sensors, so it is "blind"?

I can see people trying to find out where it opens so they can dump their trash and recyclables. Or trying to get their boarding pass… or trying to order a burger and fries.

I think all it needs is some of the long horns they sell at football games for making noise and a little glue.

If it's armed with a plunger, what's the worst it could do?

I give it a week before they all unionize and go on strike… ;-)

They seem to have a problem with water as well as stairs

link

Also reminds me of the one in Runaway with Tom Seleck and Gene Simmons where he kills it with a chair.

imdb.com/title/tt0088024

And how many taxpayers' dollars were spent on this nonsense?

Can it make and deliver hot pizza???

I bet it doesn't do slopes well. Or steps. Or curbs.

Gone Fishing

You think what they've spent too much tax payer money already?

"Security robot 'drowns itself' in office fountain"
(Headline rom Haywire's link)

Just wait for the media to convince the loons that the bots need therapy.

Dan

You're quite right, CC! I'll gloomily anticipate such news in the future, always remembering I heard it first here! : D

Solo robots are rarely cost effective for society as a whole. They aren't consumers and any replaced human security guard now sitting unemployed is on the dole costing society still. Worse yet, he may become the literal Luddite and destroy a few machines. They must be viewed at best as efficiency enhancers of existing guards and not cheaper replacements. Which again makes me wonder if the robot is still cheaper than using the same money to hire additional humans or give them some night vision devices.

I wonder how many points they cost per stand compared to a stand of grunts.

Um, no. Robots consume power and maintenance parts, so there are still additional driving factors on the economy attached to the same. No, they don't buy food, clothing, etc., but then, the companies which use them presumably do so in order to save costs and thus free up money for more central elements of their business (i.e. providing goods and/or services), thus creating a more efficient use of resources and adding additional value (money) to the economy as a whole. In doing so, the companies provide more goods and services to consumers (increase in supply) which drives the costs of those products down, allowing consumers to thus make other choices with their money (increasing demand), which offers business and job opportunities for other people, including the security guard who can finally get out of his dead boring low paying job and look for more fulfilling, more profitable work in the growing economy (like, say, learning how to maintain and service said robots). As it is, the robot itself still needs to be monitored, as does its video and audio feeds; it's not really making autonomous decisions regarding real security threats, and is essentially not much more than a mobile security camera. Thus, a human being is required (a job) to oversee the operation of the robot and dispatch trained personnel (more jobs) to respond to real potential trouble in presumably a more timely and efficient manner, if simple communication through the robot is unable to resolve the issue.
So I seriously doubt any superfluous security guard is gonna become a Luddite against robot surveillance devices.
But hey, maybe it's a mash-up scenario:
Mall Cop vs. the Daleks! In 3D!
Yeah, I'd play that.

It reminded me of this :

Looks like it could easily be tipped over.

I work with middle school students, so have to keep such things in mind.

I doubt it.

I imagine it is probably pretty heavy, and suspect the designers have anticipated people trying to tip them over, so have taken measures against that.

Gone Fishing wrote:

And how many taxpayers' dollars were spent on this nonsense?

The manufacturer is a private company in Silicon Valley:

knightscope.com

So I don't think that any tax money paid for development and production. Knightscope robots, per the link in the original post, are in service in many places, so it is possible that governmental units are using and paying for them, as well as private companies, like the apartment complex featured in the article.

@Aethelflaeda was framed and Parzival:

It sounds like the robots will put some security guards out of work but the robot user or maker will have to hire some mechanics and engineers, so the effect on the economy is at least neutral.

Thresher wrote:

Does it/can it vacuum and mop?

If so, it might be perfect to help clean up the fetid streets of SF, I hear about in the news, which probably should be made into a TV horror show, as a sequel to the original Streets of SF series.

I don't know what news you watch, but I work and play in San Francisco, and its streets are no more dirty, nor more clean, than other American cities to which I travel frequently, such as Manhattan or Los Angeles. Well, all three of those cities have dirtier streets, on average, than San Diego.

I do expect the robots to be graffitti-bombed, tipped over, and stripped for parts, though.

I'm sure the robots are transmitting their location information constantly, so if you're going to strip it for parts, you have to move fast.

If its less than 300 lbs, looks like a great thing to steal and sell for parts

I'm sure the robots are transmitting their location information constantly, so if you're going to strip it for parts, you have to move fast.

just do it on the move
YouTube link

" if you're going to strip it for parts, you have to move fast."

I'm sure after the first couple (for practice ;-), the strippers will be as fast as a pit crew and take it apart like pirhana…