DC security robot K5 quits job by drowning itself in a fountain

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Pedestrians pass a Knightscope K5 security robot on Wall Street, New York, on January 17, 2017.

I’m sorry to inform you that perhaps some robots are taking this whole “be more human” thing a bit too far. I’ve seen people make jokes about jumping into a river or out of a window when they feel distressed, but one DC-based security robot appears to have interpreted this on a literal level.

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We don’t yet know the full story of what happened, but it appears the robot — a Knightscope K5 — ran itself right into a water fountain inside an office complex. No word on whether it survived its injury or why the incident occurred. Did it hate its job? Did it just overhear some horrifying news? Did it realize that the future is not, in fact, now?

The K5 is evidently prone to making headlines about things falling over. Earlier this year, a drunk man was arrested for knocking the K5 over, though the robot wasn’t always at the victim end of the spectrum after tripping up a toddler and coldly driving away last summer. The K5 was created to be used as a security patrol robot, standing at five feet tall and weighing 300 pounds. Its rocket-like shape and armless design make it difficult for it to get back up after toppling over, but today’s fall straight into a fountain seems truly like an act of free will. I wouldn’t want your job either, K5. Live your truth.

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