Knightscope K5 security robot falls into fountain at Washington Harbour

What happened

On Monday, July 17, 2017, a Knightscope K5 security robot patrolling the Washington Harbour office and retail complex in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, went down a set of steps and ended up partly submerged in a fountain on the property. Photos of the robot lying in the water spread widely on social media.

No one was hurt. Reports at the time said the robot had only recently begun working at the site. A security official told one outlet it had been on duty for a few days, and a CNN report said it was still mapping the grounds.

The system involved

The machine was a K5 Autonomous Data Machine made by Knightscope of Silicon Valley. The K5 is a wheeled, roughly cone-shaped robot that patrols a mapped area without a driver and relays video and sensor data to security staff. Washington Harbour and its developer, MRP Realty, had brought the robot in to supplement security at the mixed-use complex.

Investigation and response

Knightscope first said the event was under investigation and that no one had been harmed. In a statement reported by Reuters on July 28, 2017, the company said data from the robot’s onboard recorder, video and follow-up tests showed the robot slipped on a loose brick surface because an algorithm did not detect the uneven ground. It said the fall was not caused by sabotage or rain and that it was working on a fix.

The company said a replacement unit was at the site within 48 hours and that the client was given a month’s credit. An MRP Realty representative was quoted describing the early deployment as a period for finding and fixing problems.

What is not established

The cause described here is Knightscope’s own account of its internal review; no outside body examined the robot. The cost of the damage was not reported.