This Crime-Fighting Security Robot Drowned in Mere Inches of Water, Much to the Internet's Amusement
Twitter tributes have flooded in for a state of the art security robot that plunged wheel-over-nosecone into a shallow fountain near Washington D.C. — and couldn’t get back up.
The roving robot — a four-foot tall oblong affair developed by a silicon valley startup called Knightscope — was on its usual crime-fighting rounds when it clattered down a set of steps and into the water feature outside Georgetown’s Washington Harbour office and retail complex, the Washington Post reports.
Images of its helpless, partially submerged form prompted a torrent of Twitter jibes. “We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots,” wrote one Twitter user.
Our D.C. office building got a security robot. It drowned itself.
We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots. pic.twitter.com/rGLTAWZMjn— Bilal Farooqui (@bilalfarooqui) July 17, 2017
Others posted pictures of (human) maintenance workers lifting the robot from the pool.
It's ok security robot. It's a stressful job, we've all been there. pic.twitter.com/LQbnntbCRm
— ?????Sparkle Ops????? (@SparkleOps) July 17, 2017
Security robot sleeps with the fishes. pic.twitter.com/b7Tkcsji3L
— Populo Iratus (@cmahar3) July 17, 2017
Knightscope, which said it was investigating the incident, described the mishap an “an isolated event” and promised to deliver a new robot within the week, according to the Post. An office worker at the Georgetown complex said this one had only been on the job a few days before it met its watery demise.