A sight previously thought to be science fiction is very real at a southeast Kansas City shopping center. Instead of a police officer, a security robot has been patrolling sidewalks and shoppers are taking notice.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19944734

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A sight previously thought to be science fiction is very real at a southeast Kansas City shopping center. Instead of a police officer, a security robot has been patrolling sidewalks and shoppers are taking notice.

Since Marshall the robot has been on the job, shoppers say the experiences have completely changed when they come to these stores. The robot can spend 23 hours a day monitoring the parking lot from all angles which gives people a new sense of protection and ease they don’t always have when out.

Marshall took over security at Brywood Centre in April. Before that, Karen White noticed a lot of trouble outside the shopping center.

“Sometimes it’d be concerning for your car like someone could take it or something,” White said.

Knowing now that Marshall is always watching, the risk of crime does not worry her or others as much.

“It made it very better, like you can’t be in the parking lot without seeing the robot,” White continued. “So, I think it scared them off.”

  • @linearchaosEnglish
    4•6 hours ago

    It’s a roving mobile camera. It doesn’t get distracted easily or bored or tired and isn’t apathetic and It doesn’t hate its job. Criminals don’t want to be filmed doing their crime.

    Normally if you are not actively doing anything provably wrong the mall cops will just kick you out, this thing is going to provide evidence to the actual police.

    But I have to admit any significant security advantages that it provides are going to be short-lived while the thieves just change their plan. They’ll just have to be faster and more aware of where this thing is, or do a better job of hiding their face.

    • @[email protected]
      1•3 hours ago

      It’s gotta be pretty easy to disable.

      Wear a mask and gloves, walk up with what, a stun gun and give it a nice jolt. Or just throw a wire mesh bag over it.

      Other similar bots have been pushed into fountains.

      • @linearchaosEnglish
        2•3 hours ago

        Yeah taking it out of the picture isn’t the problem but that starts the timer. The thing’s being remotely monitored and that would bring the police

        Ideally the criminals want to loiter. Look for targets.

        I strongly suspect if you were able to get enough tagged data for shoppers versus Nair do wells, purely from video surveillance footage you could target potential thieves based on location of movement characteristics.