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NEW YORK — Please watch out for the robots as you’re exiting the train.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams doubled down on his pledge to bring more technology to the nation’s largest police department Friday when he unveiled an autonomous robot that will patrol one of the city’s busiest subway stations.
The device, known as K5 and produced by robotics company Knightscope, stood motionless alongside Adams at a Friday press conference, its shell emblazoned with NYPD colors and its unblinking camera lens pointed at reporters and commuters in the bustling transit hub beneath Times Square.
“The NYPD must be on the forefront of technology and be two steps ahead of those who are utilizing technology to hurt New Yorkers,” Adams said. “And trust me. They are.”
The city is leasing the drone, shaped like an upright rocket nose on wheels, for two months as part of a pilot. The machine will ply the Times Square station between midnight and 6 a.m., but will not go onto subway platforms.
The robot will capture video footage — but not audio — and will feature a button allowing passersby to connect with someone at the police department for questions or to report an emergency. It will not employ facial recognition.