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
Last week in Palo Alto, a young boy was knocked down and run over by a robot security guard at Stanford Shopping Center. Thankfully, the kid is okay, but his parents are mad as hell. Wait, did I just read that right?Yes, there are robot mall security guards. And their people skills are apparently not so great. Last Thursday, 16-month-old Harwin Cheng had a frightening collision with the Stanford Shopping Center's robot."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," Harwin's mom Tiffany Teng told ABC7. The robot ran over Harwin's right foot, causing it to swell, but luckily didn't break any bones. He also had a scrape on his leg from the incident.The Knightscope K5, which stands five feet tall and weighs 300 pounds, was introduced at the shopping center last year. It's designed to alert authorities of abnormal noises, sudden environmental changes, and known criminals. It is apparently not so good at not running over little kids.According to Harwin's parents, a security guard told them that another child was hurt just days before by the same robot. It seems there might be a serious design flaw in the Knightscope K5.Or maybe the robot uprising has begun.More here: Stanford Shopping Center: Mall docks robot cops after kid hit