NY Post[/caption] New York’s LaGuardia Airport, like most major airline hubs, have their entrances swarmed by taxis looking to scoop up passengers before their competitors. The cutthroat business has resulted in the cabs ignoring parking protocols and idling areas. To combat this, LaGuardia has used security officers on foot to shoo away the cabbies, but that ended three months ago when the airport deployed the Knightscope K5 robot. It was hoped that the robot would be able to cover more ground in a more effective manner than its human predecessor. Instead, it has taken to Harvey Weinstein-esque behavior, reports the New York Post.
Digital Trends[/caption] The Post writes that Knightscope K5 has been sidling up to women, even female security officers, and stares at them with its four embedded cameras. “It’s upsetting to have that thing creep up on you,” said one female security guard at the airport who had moments before sent the robot scurrying after threatening it with a luggage cart. “It’s a pain in the ass. It keeps bothering people,” exclaimed the officer. “It was coming right up to me, and at first, I was like, ‘What the freak is that?’ ” said Kris Cabagnot, 31, after the robot sat 10 inches away from her knee for a minute. Strangely, when people get close to the K5, it says, “You are in my personal space,” according to workers. The Post notes that Knightscope K5 was stationed at “Terminal B, recording everything with its four cameras, microphones and sensors.”
NY Post[/caption] While LaGuardia officials with the New York/New Jersey Port Authority refuse to disclose what they paid for the pervert bot, information from Knightscope reveals that the robot usually rents out for $6,500 to $8,300 a month. “The concept is in the testing phase right now, patrolling the arrivals level,” said a LaGuardia Gateway Partners spokesman. “Capabilities include video surveillance; the ability to broadcast recorded and live messages in the event of an incident; and the ability to ensure it avoids people and objects in its path.” It would be one thing if K5 was at least a bit successful at sending cabbies scurrying, but the bot is entirely ineffective. “They just laugh at it. They walk around the bot and take people into their cars. It’s a waste of money,” said one high-level security specialist at the airport. “They could have renovated three of our bathrooms for the same money. We could have gotten some working sinks.” Cab drivers seem to also agree on the uselessness of K5. “I didn’t even notice it. I thought it was sales,” said an illicit cabdriver named Mohammad.