Investigation begins on robot security hitting a toddler

A 300-pound security robot has been suspended after it collided with a toddler in a Silicon Valley mall, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The toddler suffered a bruised leg from the incident, which involved K5 robots that are also used at Qualcomm, Uber, and other corporate campuses, Journal reporter Georgia Wells reported on Thursday.

Knightscope, the robot’s maker, has apologized to the toddler’s family. In a statement to the Journal, Knightscope called the incident an accident, noting that the robot changed directions to avoid hitting the child and stopped, but the toddler ran directly into it and fell.

“Our primary mission is to serve the public’s overall safety, and we take any circumstance that would compromise that mission very seriously,” said Knightscope CEO William Santana Li to the Journal.

The incident is under investigation by the Stanford Shopping Center. The mall has stopped the use of security robots until the investigation is complete.

Source: CNBC