NYPD rolls out subway surveillance robot to patrol Times Square station
Officer R2-D2 reporting for duty.
The NYPD rolled out its latest addition to its high-tech crime-fighting effort in Times Square Friday — an AI-driven security robot.
The egg-shaped machine will cruise around the Midtown subway station for the next two months with a human partner from the NYPD as part of a pilot program, city officials announced.
“We’re committed to exploring innovative tools to continue to make this city the safest big city in America, and this robot K5, it has the potential to serve as an important tool in our toolbox,” Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference Friday morning.
Working an 18-hour shift starting at 6 a.m., the more than 400-pound bot will serve as a roaming surveillance system, recording video using its 360 HD camera for cops to review following a crime.
Police officials say that while it will be constantly recording video as it patrols, it will not be recording audio.
Adams said the bot, which does have a license plate reader, does not have any real-time facial recognition tech and any video collected would “adhere to the same guidelines as that any other technology in the NYPD’s current toolbox.”
“New Yorkers have strong opinions on technology,” Adams said, adding, “And while I believe it is our duty to utilize state-of-the-art technology advancements to help keep New Yorkers safe, I believe we must do it wisely and not intrusively.”
Police policy would allow cops to use images from the droid’s video recording of a potential crime suspect to run through its facial recognition unit, similar to any other surveillance clips collected by police.
The K5 Autonomous Security Robot is also equipped with a button that straphangers can use to call for police as well as dozens of microphones.
Under Adams, the NYPD has embraced the use of tech, buying a new fleet of drones recently and purchasing the Boston Dynamics DigiDog that was previously returned under Mayor Bill de Blasio after blowback for its use.
The machine was leased by the NYPD for six months for $12,500 using forfeiture funds, officials said back in April when the police department unveiled its new robo ranks.
Its first shift starts Friday night as it maps out the station for two weeks before starting patrol, according to City Hall.
The bot, which will be assigned to the main station area, not on the platform, has a bit of a checkered service record so far. Back in 2016, it ran over a child’s foot in California.
And in 2017, it reportedly took a dive into a water fountain in a DC mall.
Adams repeatedly touted a $9-per-hour cost to run the bot, but it was unclear how City Hall came up with that figure.
That line seems to be from the company, which pitched the robots when they launched in 2015 as half the price of typical security. Back then, bots’ “wages” were $6.25 an hour, according to Knightscope CEO Stacy Stephens.
NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper warned would-be vandals that defacing or damaging the bot on loan would lead to an arrest.
“Let me say this: If anyone destroys this or vandalizes this, they’re going to be captured on video and we’re going to prosecute them, and they’re going to be arrested,” Kemper said, adding, “Depending on the damage, it could be a felony.”
The bot previously made headlines outside of New York City a few years back for helping with a collar after a drunk man knocked over a K5 while it was on patrol in California, local outlets reported.
