[00:00.20]Shopping centers, stadiums and universities
[00:04.24]may soon have a new tool to help fight crime.
[00:08.80]A California company called Knightscope
[00:12.40]says its robots can predict and prevent crime.
[00:17.44]Knightscope says the goal is to reduce crime by half
[00:22.16]in areas the robots guard.
[00:25.24]William Santana Li is the chief executive officer of Knightscope.
[00:30.80]He says these robot security guards will change the world.
[00:36.60]"Our planet has seven billion people on it. It's going to quickly get to nine billion people.
[00:40.54]The law enforcement apparatus and security apparatus that we have globally is just not going to scale."
[00:45.72]Mr. Li says his company's Autonomous Data Machines
[00:49.80]can become the eyes and ears of law enforcement.
[00:54.40]"You want it to be machines plus humans.
[00:57.60]Let the machines do the monotonous computational heavy and sometimes dangerous work
[01:02.48]and let the humans do the strategic decision-making work so it's always working in tandem."
[01:07.32]The machines are one and a half meters tall and weigh 136 kilograms.
[01:14.12]They do not carry weapons but have day and night time video cameras able to turn 360 degrees.
[01:22.80]Mr. Li says they can also sense chemical and biological weapons.
[01:28.72]Eugene Volokh is a law professor at the University of California.
[01:33.80]He says the machines have to be used in the right way.
[01:38.48]He says some people may become concerned about their privacy,
[01:43.20]especially in connection with the video recordings.
[01:47.20]Some people may worry that such recordings will appear on the Internet.
[01:52.64]Mr. Volokh says it will be interesting to see how state laws deal with this kind of surveillance video.
[02:01.44]William Santana Li says there is a long waiting list for the robots in the U.S.
[02:08.28]At least 25 other countries are also interested in these robotic security guards.
[02:16.12]I'm Jonathan Evans.
[02:18.84]Words in this Story
[02:21.40]stadium - n. a very large usually roofless building
[02:27.00]that has a large open area surrounded by many rows of seats
[02:31.60]and that is used for sports events, concerts, etc.
[02:36.60]apparatus - n. the organization or system used for doing or operating something
[02:44.68]scale - n. the size or level of something especially in comparison to something else
[02:52.24]strategic - adj. useful or important in achieving a plan or strategy
[02:59.84]in tandem - n. two people, groups or things working or happening together or at the same time
[03:08.36]surveillance - n. the act of carefully watching someone or something
[03:14.12]especially in order to prevent or detect a crime
[03:18.76]Does the idea of robotic guards make you feel uneasy?
[03:23.44]Do you think it is a good way to reduce crime?
[03:26.80]Let us know. Post your thoughts in the comments section?
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