Real Crime Fighting RoboCop May Prevent Next Sandy Hook


When Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner set out to write the original 1987 sci fi action film RoboCop, we bet they didn’t imagine that one day a real RoboCop would be made to prevent crime. With the current rise in violence, specifically with school shootings, a five foot, three hundred pound machine has been created to assist in fighting crime.

Created by a Silicon Valley startup, the R5 Autonomous Data Machine is a robot that looks similar to R2D2, a character in cinematic history we’re all familiar with. But instead of being friendly like the Star Wars robot, this machine is going to hit the market with one purpose only — to lessen crime.

Co-founder of the manufacturer Knightscope, William Santana Li said of the RoboCop-like machine, “You are never going to have an armed officer in every school.” According to Li, the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting was behind the invention of the R5. The co-founder opened up to New York Times about the creation, having said:

“We want to give the humans the ability to do the strategic work.”

Knightscope hopes that the R5 Autonomous Data Machine will act in place of night watch in neighborhoods and be placed in businesses across the globe. It looks like the RoboCop-esque crime fighting machine will also be cost effective as the robot’s price is being estimated to $6.25.

So how does the R5 machine work? According to Knightscope, the machine will utilize a “predictive analytics engine.” This means the machine will have the ability to predict and analyze when a crime is about to happen through analyzing data and historical patterns that went on in previous situations. Using its sensors, the RoboCop-like machine will use its sensors to produce real-time data of the site. These sensors might include thermal imaging, a laser range finder, a video camera, radar, and a microphone.

When the R5 combines all of its data collected with the existing data on the area that it’s scanning, it will assert itself as part of an “alert level,” which includes signaling an alert. Once an alert is sent out using its sensors, the police will then review the situation in real-time, thanks to the R5.

Check out the video below:

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