A 16-month-old boy was run over by a mall security robot, a K5 model, at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California last week. The K5 mall security robot which knocked the toddler down stands at five feet tall and weighs 300 pounds. It was developed by Knightscope.
"The robot hit my son's head and he fell down facing down on the floor and the robot did not stop and it kept moving forward," said Tiffany Teng, as per ABC 7 News. Teng is the mother of Harwin, whose right foot was ran over by the K5 mall security robot.
16 mo old has injuries to leg, foot after @StanfordShop security robot knocks him down and runs him over. #paloalto pic.twitter.com/tJdDNeFJq1
— Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) July 12, 2016
Toddler's Foot Injured By Robot, Company Responds
According to a report from Gizmodo, Harwin's right foot swelled after it was ran over by the K5 mall security robot. Besides his right foot swelling, Harwin also got a scrape on his leg from the collision with the K5 mall security robot.
"We have reached out to the mother to invite her to our office to meet the entire Knightscope team. We would all like to have the opportunity to apologize to her and her child directly. At this time, we have not yet heard back from her," said Knightscope's Vice President Marketing and Sales Stacy D. Stephens in response to Gizmodo's request for comment. This response was from July 13.
Not The First Incident With Mall Security Robot
Harwin's parents reportedly told ABC 7 News that a mall security guard informed them that there had been another child hurt by the mall security robot days before it had ran over their son. According to a report in Popular Mechanics, Knightscope promotes not only the mall security robot but the Stanford Shopping Center as well on its website.
The report said that the K5 mall security robot does not have remote control. The K5 mall security robot said to have other features such as thermal detection capabilities, weather sensors, license plate identification, bells and whistles.
What safeguards should be in place for mall security robots? Write your comments below.
