Microsoft HQ took robot security guards for a spin last week
What's 5-feet-tall, 300 pounds, and looks like a cross between R2-D2 and Eva from Wall-E? New robot security guards roaming around Microsoft's Silicon Valley campus last week. They're not taking over human jobs just yet, though. They were just part of a Tech in Motion Silicon Valley event called "Rise of the Robots."
Five such robots were there, PC Magazine reports. Named K5, these Knightscope security guards run artificial intelligence software and come with cameras, sensors, and alarms. They're built to both detect intruders and get help for people in danger. All while having a "friendly but commanding physical presence" — whatever that means.
Just in case you needed more proof that robots will outlast humans, consider this: Each one of these guys works a 24-hour shift before losing its charge, and then it needs 20 minutes, tops, to juice back up.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
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