Robots are increasingly replacing humans in a variety of mundane tasks, like bolting a car together or making lollipops, but now they are moving into the security business.

Microsoft recently installed a fleet of 5-feet-tall, 300-pound robots to protect its Silicon Valley campus. The robots are packed with HD security cameras and sensors to take in their organic, protein-based surroundings. There�s also an artificial intelligence on board that can sound alarms when the robot notices something awry. It can also read license plates and cross-reference them to see if they�re stolen.

The K5 robots come from a California company called Knightscope, which calls the robots �autonomous data machines� that provide a �commanding but friendly presence.� Sounds like something a robot manufacturer would say.

There are, however, plans equip the robots with tasers sometime in the future.

Maybe they should use these instead of human cops in certain select "urban" neighborhoods.

And so it begins!

Which reminds me, we should make bets NOW on when the first ones apear soiled with grafiti... It can�t take long and my bet is 8 weeks max before we see them sprayed..

;=)

Next thing you know, we have automated riots.



The Jedi Master