ROBOCOP: New York To Put Anti-Crime Robots On Streets

Fox Business reported that Knightscope – a startup company that manufactures “full autonomous security data machines” – has secured contracts to patrol malls in sixteen cities across New York and Massachusetts.

The robots are about five feet tall and weigh about three hundred pounds.

A Knightscope Inc. security robot stands on display during the WSJDLive Global Technology Conference in Laguna Beach, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. The conference brings together an unmatched group of top CEOs, founders, pioneers, investors and luminaries to explore tech opportunities emerging around the world. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A Knightscope Inc. security robot stands on display during the WSJDLive Global Technology Conference in Laguna Beach, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. The conference brings together an unmatched group of top CEOs, founders, pioneers, investors and luminaries to explore tech opportunities emerging around the world. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Every single year, [crime] is a hidden tax we pay in blood, tears, and treasure,” said Knightscope’s chairman and CEO Bill Li, framing his company’s services as a tool to reduce what he said is the yearly national cost of crime: one trillion dollars.

Speaking with CNBC’s Jim Cramer in January, Li said Knightscope’s security robots offer assistance to security guards and police officers by rapidly reading license plates, determining fire risks based on temperatures, and examining suspicious persons.

Knightscope’s services are sold as a total package, with clients leasing the security machines with included maintenance for $7 per hour. Li estimated that off-duty police officers cost about $90 per hour, with mall cops and security guards costing about $25 per hour.

On the subject of employment displacement resulting from the automation of labor, Li positioned the phenomenon in terms of macroeconomics:

“Let’s look at the macroeconomics, let’s say, let’s fast forward a decade or so, and we’re able to prove that we can cut crime in half, literally in half. Talk to me about the impact on housing prices. Talk to me about the impact on insurance rates, the viability of someone’s local business, the safety of your family. It’s a game-changing opportunity, not only for our investors, but for society at large.”

Stacy Stephens, Knightscope’s co-founder, described his company’s robots as offering a “commanding [and] authoritative presence” as a deterrent against crime. He explained his position to TechCrunch:

“Think of it like a marked patrol car on the side of the street. These are not there to intervene with anything being done, they’re there actually to provide a commanding presence, to actually have something there similar to the patrol car on the side of the street. Everybody sees that, and they immediately say, ‘Okay, I need to behave.’ So it’s not about having a human presence, necessarily, it’s just about having an authoritative presence.”

In late 2014, Li described his company’s robots as “smart eyes and eyes” for security providers.

Knightscope also has security contracts with Microsoft, providing security services to technology company’s campuses. It also has contracts with San Diego malls.

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