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---
title: Knightscope Autonomous Robot May Help Police Patrol Neighborhoods
description: It looks like a cross between R2D2 and a Dalek, but it&#x27;s really a new big idea in policing: Robotics in service of public safety.
canonical: https://time.com/65021/robot-cop/
author: Lev Grossman
article:opinion: true
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2014-04-16T15:36:45.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:59.119Z
article:section: Ideas
og:title: Knightscope Police Bot Is Watching, Always Watching
og:description: Seen by its makers &quot;more R2D2 than RoboCop,&quot; the autonomous policing robot Knightscope K5 promises to patrol geo-fenced beats in hopes of reducing crime by 50 percent.
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og:image:alt: Knightscope
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twitter:title: Knightscope Police Bot Is Watching, Always Watching
twitter:description: Seen by its makers &quot;more R2D2 than RoboCop,&quot; the autonomous policing robot Knightscope K5 promises to patrol geo-fenced beats in hopes of reducing crime by 50 percent.
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt25ba125b02da2d06/69868aef1eebf735423706df/k5-blur-kids_full.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=1200&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt25ba125b02da2d06/69868aef1eebf735423706df/k5-blur-kids_full.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# The New Cop on the Beat May Be a Bot

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by 

[Lev Grossman](https://time.com/author/lev-grossman/)


## Lev Grossman


Apr 16, 2014 3:36 PM UTC

![Knightscope](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt25ba125b02da2d06/69868aef1eebf735423706df/k5-blur-kids_full.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Knightscope

by 

[Lev Grossman](https://time.com/author/lev-grossman/)


## Lev Grossman


Apr 16, 2014 3:36 PM UTC

Have we as a species learned nothing from _Robocop_? 

A Silicon Valley company called [Knightscope](http://knightscope.com) is currently testing a prototype robot designed to detect and monitor criminal activity, much the way a police officer or a security guard would. 

The Knightscope K5 is a five-foot-tall autonomous robot (one presumes that its resemblance to a [Dalek](http://www.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/dalek/) is merely coincidental) that roams around your neighborhood, observing and gathering data and trying to predict where and when criminal activity will occur. 

It carries no weaponry, but it has a pretty complete sensor package that includes thermal imaging, license plate reading and facial recognition. 

This takes public surveillance a step beyond stationary cameras, and the challenges to personal privacy are clear. The K5 could do a whole lot of good by deterring crime, especially in neighborhoods that lack the resources to field an adequate police presence. 

But where do you draw the line?

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