Just five months after that K-5 surveillance robotthe New York subway removed it from the Times Square station due to its low effectiveness.
Apparently his brief passage through the force was marked by frequent breaks Recharging his batteries, the need for human companionship and his inability to climb stairs.
“The K-5 Knightscope has completed its pilot deployment on the New York subway system,” a police spokesman said of the device, which was unveiled to much fanfare in September 2023.
Part fancy car, part Dalek, the creatures from the “Doctor Who” series look like The robot was equipped with multiple cameras and a help button for travelers at the city’s busiest subway station, which is also a major tourist spot.
“I said it was a trash can on wheels, but it looks like the wheels don’t even work,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the anti-spy technology campaign group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.
“Why are we spending so much money on these devices when serious crime is down and the mayor has ordered budget cuts across all city departments?” he asks.
Police technology
New York Mayor Eric Adams has put technology at the heart of its policing strategyin which he enthusiastically extols the virtues of drones, facial recognition cameras and robotics in the fight against crime.
In April 2023, the city police introduced a $74,000 robot dog equipped with cameras, a two-way communication system and lights to help in emergency situations.
Agents have also taken over Starch huntingA GPS tracking system that allows police to place a tracking device on fleeing vehicleseliminating the need for risky chases through the crowded streets of New York.
As crime increased across the country, we were told that surveillance was the solution. But now crime is falling across the country, including in cities where these dystopian devices are banned. “If we don’t have money to keep libraries open, we certainly don’t have money to buy stupid robots,” says Cahn.
Adams recently pointed to the city’s decline in crime, according to official statistics, and attributed it in part to technology.
With information from AFP.
ORP