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                  Microsoft Employs Robots as Security Guards

   by VOA News

   Several 1-1/2-meter - tall, 136-kilogram robots have recently started
   patrolling Microsoft's compound in California's Silicon Valley as
   security guards.

   Autonomous movable platforms equipped with lasers, cameras and various
   sensors are already being used for operations such as looking for
   explosive devices or earthquake victims. But the U.S. software giant
   has taken robotic surveillance a step further with its fleet of
   bullet-shaped automatons.

   The K5s, as they're called, move around outdoor areas, garages and
   parking lots, scanning situations with their HD cameras and a whole
   range of sensors, much like human guards would do.

   They can read cars' license plates, check them against a database, and
   detect and report unusual activities to a supervisor.

   The robotic guards are not armed. Instead, they are programmed to
   assess situations and defuse them or sound an alarm and summon human
   support.

   The battery in each robot runs for 24 hours, after which the device
   returns to a station for a 20-minute recharge.

   The manufacturer, the California company Knightscope, says its robot
   guards will take over the monotonous and tiresome work, leaving humans
   to deal with more complicated tasks.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/microsoft-employs-robots-security-gua
   rds/2529705.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/microsoft-employs-robots-security-guards/2529705.html