PALO ALTO — Stanford Shopping Center has temporarily docked its futuristic security robots after one of the 5-foot-tall, 300-pound mechanical guards reportedly ran into and hurt a young child last week.
“We are investigating this incident thoroughly, and the K5 units have been docked until the investigation is complete,” the mall said in a statement Tuesday.
The Shopping Center introduced the gliding “K5” robot, built by the Mountain View startup Knightscope, last year. The robot uses an array of cameras and sensors to monitor and report suspicious activity while hopefully deterring crime with its watchful presence. Since it’s debut, the novelty has fascinated many shoppers.
But Thursday’s incident called the robots into question.
San Jose resident Tiffany Teng said she was walking with her husband and their 16-month-old son, Harwin Cheng, when the robot collided with the child, knocking him face down on the ground. Instead of stopping, Teng said, the robot proceeded to roll over Harwin’s right foot, leaving swelling and a scrape on the child’s leg.
Teng said that she screamed and pushed against the robot to stop its movement forward, but without success — her husband had to pull the child away. Harwin suffered no serious injuries, but was crying “like crazy” after the incident, she said.
At Teng’s request Stanford Shopping Center security personnel ultimately called an ambulance, which confirmed that the boy was all right but advised seeing a doctor, Teng said.
Still, Teng, a regular at the upscale shopping center, was rattled enough by the incident to be wary of returning and said she had heard of a similar prior incident.
“Right now I don’t think I would ever go there again,” Teng said.
The shopping center did not comment on Teng’s mention of a previous robot incident, and declined to say how many robots the Center operates. But a spokesperson emphasized that the mall prioritizes shoppers’ safety.
Stacy Stephens, Knightscope’s vice president of marketing and sales, said via email Tuesday night that Knightscope takes the issue at Stanford Shopping Center very seriously has invited Teng and her family to meet the company’s team in person.
“Hearing a report that one of our machines may have injured someone is absolutely horrifying,” Stephens wrote. “Many of our team members are parents and understand the importance of protecting our children at all costs.”
According to Stephens, Knightscope has not heard of any similar incidents with its machines, which have collectively traveled over 25,000 miles. K5 can be found in other places around California including Qualcomm in San Diego and Northland Controls in Fremont. Knightscope told CBS in 2014 that the company had “a long waiting list of about four dozen companies waiting” for its roving robot.
Contact Hannah Knowles at 408-920-5767. Follow her at Twitter.com/KnowlesHannah.
