AFP – The New York City (NYC) subway has pulled its controversial security robot out of service after little more than five months patrolling the busy Times Square station.
K-5, as the robot’s call sign goes, has been retired to a storage lot, The New York Times reported on Friday. Its short stint on the force was reportedly marked by frequent charging breaks, the need to be chaperoned by human officers, and an inability to tackle stairs.
“The Knightscope K-5 has completed its pilot deployment in the NYC subway system,” a police spokesman told AFP of the device, which was introduced to much fanfare in September 2023.
The device, part-Star Wars, part-Smart Car in appearance, was equipped with several cameras as well as a help button for commuters at the city’s busiest subway station that is also a major tourist hotspot.
“I said this was a trash can on wheels, but it looks like the wheels aren’t even working at this point,” said the executive director of anti-spy-tech campaign group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Albert Fox Cahn.
“With major crimes down and the mayor mandating budget cuts across city agencies, why are we spending so much money on these gadgets?”
