112 a self-driving car, which relies on its Lidar, sonar and other sensor arrays to detect obstacles and navigate around them. The K5’s sensors allow it to respond dynamically to pedestrians, vehicles and other environmental changes in real time. Additionally, the robot incorporates cybersecurity protocols strong enough to have enabled Knightscope to achieve over two million operational machine hours without any major security incident. Deployment and setup Site setup involves a thorough analysis to ensure optimal placement and functionality. Knightscope offers a virtual site survey during the sales process, followed by an in-person visit to assess practicalities such as the docking station location and signal strength for telecommunications, so all logistical needs are met prior to deployment. The physical installation and virtual debugging process can take three to five days each, depending on the complexity of the site. During this period, Knightscope engineers validate all operational configurations and ensure the ASR is correctly calibrated to meet the site’s specific security needs. Challenges and iterations Li emphasises that K5, like all of Knightscope’s technologies, is an entirely in-house project. The company designed, engineered and built the K5 from scratch, although external suppliers are used. Li recalls this decision was driven by the fact that there was no existing robotic platform that met the strict requirements of public safety and usability in populated environments. The journey from prototype to commercial deployment involved numerous engineering challenges and an adaptive approach. Reflecting on early assumptions, Li described the development process as one where “everything we worried about didn’t happen, and everything that wasn’t on the whiteboard did happen”. Knightscope’s engineers initially focused on ensuring uninterrupted communications, anticipating that established networks would provide 24/7 connectivity. However, real-world conditions proved otherwise. Even in metropolitan areas, unexpected outages December/January 2025 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Moving the four HD cameras close to the top of the head, just below the Ouster Lidar, gives them an approximately eye-level view, so it is easier to see people’s faces. The assistance button links to a phone line Vehicles are designed to be inactive for 90% of the time… K5 runs nearly continuously, accumulating wear far beyond typical consumer products
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