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Incident 51: Security Robot Rolls Over Child in Mall

Responded
Description: On July 7, 2016, a Knightscope K5 autonomous security robot collided with a 16-month old boy while patrolling the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA.

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Entities

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Alleged: Knightscope developed an AI system deployed by Stanford Shopping Center, which harmed Child.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
51
Report Count
27
Incident Date
2016-07-12
Editors
Sean McGregor
Applied Taxonomies
CSETv0, CSETv1, GMF, MIT

CSETv1 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Incident Number

The number of the incident in the AI Incident Database.
 

51

CSETv0 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Problem Nature

Indicates which, if any, of the following types of AI failure describe the incident: "Specification," i.e. the system's behavior did not align with the true intentions of its designer, operator, etc; "Robustness," i.e. the system operated unsafely because of features or changes in its environment, or in the inputs the system received; "Assurance," i.e. the system could not be adequately monitored or controlled during operation.
 

Robustness

Physical System

Where relevant, indicates whether the AI system(s) was embedded into or tightly associated with specific types of hardware.
 

Vehicle/mobile robot

Level of Autonomy

The degree to which the AI system(s) functions independently from human intervention. "High" means there is no human involved in the system action execution; "Medium" means the system generates a decision and a human oversees the resulting action; "low" means the system generates decision-support output and a human makes a decision and executes an action.
 

High

Nature of End User

"Expert" if users with special training or technical expertise were the ones meant to benefit from the AI system(s)’ operation; "Amateur" if the AI systems were primarily meant to benefit the general public or untrained users.
 

Amateur

Public Sector Deployment

"Yes" if the AI system(s) involved in the accident were being used by the public sector or for the administration of public goods (for example, public transportation). "No" if the system(s) were being used in the private sector or for commercial purposes (for example, a ride-sharing company), on the other.
 

No

Data Inputs

A brief description of the data that the AI system(s) used or were trained on.
 

LIDAR, sonar, video camera, vibration detection, thermal anomaly detection, automatic signal detection, audio

MIT Taxonomy Classifications

Machine-Classified
Taxonomy Details

Risk Subdomain

A further 23 subdomains create an accessible and understandable classification of hazards and harms associated with AI
 

7.3. Lack of capability or robustness

Risk Domain

The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies risks into seven AI risk domains: (1) Discrimination & toxicity, (2) Privacy & security, (3) Misinformation, (4) Malicious actors & misuse, (5) Human-computer interaction, (6) Socioeconomic & environmental harms, and (7) AI system safety, failures & limitations.
 
  1. AI system safety, failures, and limitations

Entity

Which, if any, entity is presented as the main cause of the risk
 

AI

Timing

The stage in the AI lifecycle at which the risk is presented as occurring
 

Post-deployment

Intent

Whether the risk is presented as occurring as an expected or unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
 

Unintentional

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

Knightscope Issues Field Incident Report - Response+25
300-Pound Mall Security Guard Robot Goes Rogue, Knocks Down Kid, Runs Him Over
This 400-pound, sidewalk-roaming security robot just got fired
Knightscope Issues Field Incident Report

Knightscope Issues Field Incident Report

businesswire.com

300-Pound Mall Security Guard Robot Goes Rogue, Knocks Down Kid, Runs Him Over

300-Pound Mall Security Guard Robot Goes Rogue, Knocks Down Kid, Runs Him Over

geekologie.com

Parents upset after Stanford Shopping Center security robot injures child

Parents upset after Stanford Shopping Center security robot injures child

abc7news.com

Mall security robot injures toddler

Mall security robot injures toddler

blog.angryasianman.com

Robotic mall cop injured toddler at Stanford shopping center

Robotic mall cop injured toddler at Stanford shopping center

thisisinsider.com

A real-life robocop patrolling Silicon Valley allegedly ran over a child in a mall

A real-life robocop patrolling Silicon Valley allegedly ran over a child in a mall

businessinsider.com.au

The Future Is Here: A Mall Security Robot May Have Run Over A Child

The Future Is Here: A Mall Security Robot May Have Run Over A Child

vocativ.com

Security robot injures 16-month-old child at California mall

Security robot injures 16-month-old child at California mall

dailydot.com

Robot security guard knocks over toddler at shopping centre

Robot security guard knocks over toddler at shopping centre

telegraph.co.uk

300-pound security robot goes haywire, runs over 1-year-old boy at California mall

300-pound security robot goes haywire, runs over 1-year-old boy at California mall

nydailynews.com

K5 Security Robot Runs Over Toddler at California Mall [Updated]

K5 Security Robot Runs Over Toddler at California Mall [Updated]

roboticsbusinessreview.com

Mall Robot Security Guard Runs Over Toddler

Mall Robot Security Guard Runs Over Toddler

popularmechanics.com

Stanford Shopping Center: Mall docks robot cops after kid hit

Stanford Shopping Center: Mall docks robot cops after kid hit

mercurynews.com

Shopping Center Security Robot Reportedly Runs Over Toddler

Shopping Center Security Robot Reportedly Runs Over Toddler

fortune.com

Mall security bot knocks down toddler, breaks Asimov's first law of robotics

Mall security bot knocks down toddler, breaks Asimov's first law of robotics

theverge.com

A robot mall cop did more harm than good

A robot mall cop did more harm than good

qz.com

300-Pound Security Robot Runs Over Toddler At California Shopping Center

300-Pound Security Robot Runs Over Toddler At California Shopping Center

huffingtonpost.com

Crime-fighting robot hits, rolls over child at Silicon Valley mall

Crime-fighting robot hits, rolls over child at Silicon Valley mall

latimes.com

Parents watch in horror as security robot runs over their child

Parents watch in horror as security robot runs over their child

digitaljournal.com

Dalek Security Robot Runs Over Toddler's Leg

Dalek Security Robot Runs Over Toddler's Leg

themarysue.com

Robot runs over toddler in shopping centre

Robot runs over toddler in shopping centre

bbc.com

Security Robot Suspended After Colliding With a Toddler

Security Robot Suspended After Colliding With a Toddler

wsj.com

300-pound mall robot runs over toddler

300-pound mall robot runs over toddler

money.cnn.com

Shopping Centre Suspends Security Robot After It Clobbered A Toddler

Shopping Centre Suspends Security Robot After It Clobbered A Toddler

gizmodo.com.au

A Mall Security Robot Has Knocked Down And Run Over a Toddler in Silicon Valley

A Mall Security Robot Has Knocked Down And Run Over a Toddler in Silicon Valley

sciencealert.com

A Robot Security Guard Allegedly Attacked Toddler In A Mall

A Robot Security Guard Allegedly Attacked Toddler In A Mall

fastcompany.com

This 400-pound, sidewalk-roaming security robot just got fired

This 400-pound, sidewalk-roaming security robot just got fired

mashable.com

Knightscope Issues Field Incident Report
businesswire.com · 2016
Knightscope post-incident response

July 13, 2016 05:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Knightscope, Inc., an advanced physical security technology company, is issuing its first incident report regarding operation of its Autonomous Data Machin…

300-Pound Mall Security Guard Robot Goes Rogue, Knocks Down Kid, Runs Him Over
geekologie.com · 2016

A security robot at the Stanford Mall in Palo Alto, California recently went rogue and knocked a 16-month old boy down before running over his leg (links to a video news report if you're interested). Wow, going for the weakest of the herd -…

Parents upset after Stanford Shopping Center security robot injures child
abc7news.com · 2016

16 mo old has injuries to leg, foot after @StanfordShop security robot knocks him down and runs him over. #paloalto pic.twitter.com/tJdDNeFJq1 — Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) July 12, 2016

5 foot tall, 300lb security robot @StanfordShop injures …

Mall security robot injures toddler
blog.angryasianman.com · 2016

16 mo old has injuries to leg, foot after @StanfordShop security robot knocks him down and runs him over. #paloalto pic.twitter.com/tJdDNeFJq1 — Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) July 12, 2016

Last week in Palo Alto, a young boy was knocked down and…

Robotic mall cop injured toddler at Stanford shopping center
thisisinsider.com · 2016

Step aside, Paul Blart. There's a new mall cop in town.

Standing five feet and weighing in at 300 pounds, the K5 security robot wanders the grounds of corporate campuses, malls, and data centers in the Silicon Valley Area and gathers inform…

A real-life robocop patrolling Silicon Valley allegedly ran over a child in a mall
businessinsider.com.au · 2016

Step aside, Paul Blart. There’s a new mall cop in town.

Standing five feet and weighing in at 300 pounds, the K5 security robot wanders the grounds of corporate campuses, malls, and data centres in the Silicon Valley Area and gathers inform…

The Future Is Here: A Mall Security Robot May Have Run Over A Child
vocativ.com · 2016

When the Mercury News wrote in May about the Stanford Shopping Center’s new security guard robot, it said the five-foot-tall, 300 pound Knightscope K5 “can remain on the lookout for bad guys while entertaining kids at the same time.” Less t…

Security robot injures 16-month-old child at California mall
dailydot.com · 2016

The oblong security robots that are equal parts creepy and helpful with just a dash of Dalek are popping up everywhere from shopping malls to tech company campuses. Created by Knightscope, the five-foot-tall, 300-pound K5 robots roll around…

Robot security guard knocks over toddler at shopping centre
telegraph.co.uk · 2016

A security robot employed to guard a shopping centre in California ran over a toddler, leaving them bruised with a swollen foot and sore head.

The 136kg robot didn't notice when it ran into the 16-month-year-old child and carried on driving…

300-pound security robot goes haywire, runs over 1-year-old boy at California mall
nydailynews.com · 2016

The 300-pound, 5-foot-tall "K5" mechanical guard, built by Knightscope, designed to alert security guards to disturbances and detect known shoplifters with its camera, pounced on an innocent 1-year-old at the Stanford Shopping Center, and t…

K5 Security Robot Runs Over Toddler at California Mall [Updated]
roboticsbusinessreview.com · 2016

Harwin Cheng does not welcome our new robot overlords. The 16-month-old boy was allegedly knocked down and run over by a Knightscope K5 security robot at the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Shopping Center.

The K5 security robot stands fiv…

Mall Robot Security Guard Runs Over Toddler
popularmechanics.com · 2016

Proving that the future is either too close or very far away, a mall security robot in Palo Alto, CA, allegedly injured a toddler by knocking him down and running him over.

"The robot hit my son's head and he fell down facing down on the fl…

Stanford Shopping Center: Mall docks robot cops after kid hit
mercurynews.com · 2016

PALO ALTO — Stanford Shopping Center has temporarily docked its futuristic security robots after one of the 5-foot-tall, 300-pound mechanical guards reportedly ran into and hurt a young child last week.

“We are investigating this incident t…

Shopping Center Security Robot Reportedly Runs Over Toddler
fortune.com · 2016

This article has been updated to reflect comment from Knightscope.

After a 5-foot tall, 300 pound security robot reportedly knocked down and ran over a 16-month-old child at a shopping center in Palo Alto, Califo., the child’s parents are s…

Mall security bot knocks down toddler, breaks Asimov's first law of robotics
theverge.com · 2016

Robots might be cheaper to employ than humans, but it seems they still need to work on their people skills. Last week, a robot security guard at the Stanford Shopping Center in Silicon Valley knocked down a toddler while on duty and then ap…

A robot mall cop did more harm than good
qz.com · 2016

A roving security robot has been patrolling parts of Palo Alto since last year, with the sole job of protecting the people around it. The robo mall cop recently failed on that front when it knocked over and injured a toddler.

As a cheaper a…

300-Pound Security Robot Runs Over Toddler At California Shopping Center
huffingtonpost.com · 2016

A young boy was knocked down and run over by a 5-foot-tall, 300-pound security robot at a California mall on Thursday.

Sixteen-month-old Harwin Cheng suffered a swollen foot and several scrapes in the scary encounter at the Stanford Shoppin…

Crime-fighting robot hits, rolls over child at Silicon Valley mall
latimes.com · 2016

Tiffany Teng told KGO-TV that she and her family were visiting the Stanford Shopping Center on Thursday when the robot, also known as an autonomous data machine, suddenly hit her son's head and caused him to fall to the ground. While still …

Parents watch in horror as security robot runs over their child
digitaljournal.com · 2016

Palo Alto - A 16-month-old toddler in California is going to grow up with fear of, and possibly respect for, robots and what they are capable of doing after he was run over by a security guard robot at a local shopping mall.

Parents watch i…

Dalek Security Robot Runs Over Toddler's Leg
themarysue.com · 2016

The whole point of a security robot is to protect people and/or things, which makes a recent incident with one in the real world (in case you hadn’t realized we’d reached that level of “future” yet) that much more upsetting: A 300-pound, Da…

Robot runs over toddler in shopping centre
bbc.com · 2016

Image copyright Knightscope Image caption The Knightscope robots have been taken off duty while the incident is investigated

Security robots at a shopping centre in Silicon Valley have been taken off duty after one of them ran over a toddle…

Security Robot Suspended After Colliding With a Toddler
wsj.com · 2016

A mall in Silicon Valley this week suspended its security robots after a collision involving one of them resulted in a toddler getting a bruised leg—a reversal from children harassing robots at the mall.

The accident could reignite fears ab…

300-pound mall robot runs over toddler
money.cnn.com · 2016

For Silicon Valley toddlers who are learning to walk, there's a new lesson -- watch out for the robots.

A mother and father watched in horror as a security robot at a mall in California knocked their 16-month-old to the ground and ran over …

Shopping Centre Suspends Security Robot After It Clobbered A Toddler
gizmodo.com.au · 2016

The Stanford Shopping Centre has suspended its security robots following an incident last week in which a 16-month-old boy collided with one of its machines, resulting in a minor injury. A K5 unit. (Image: Knightscope)

The toddler, Harwin C…

A Mall Security Robot Has Knocked Down And Run Over a Toddler in Silicon Valley
sciencealert.com · 2016

A mall security robot called Knightscope K5 recently ran over a 16-month-old toddler while on patrol at the Stanford Shopping Centre in Silicon Valley.

While the boy, Harwin Cheng, didn’t suffer major injury from the ordeal, the incident is…

A Robot Security Guard Allegedly Attacked Toddler In A Mall
fastcompany.com · 2016

Last week in the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California, a robot security guard knocked over a 17-month-old kid and ran over his right foot. The robot, which weighs in at 300 pounds and stands five feet tall, is one of two securi…

This 400-pound, sidewalk-roaming security robot just got fired
mashable.com · 2017

A five-foot tall, 400-pound robot with four surveillance cameras just got fired from its security job. Right before Christmas.

The San Francisco animal welfare non-profit, SF SPCA, rented the 'bot to roam its parking lot and grounds, ostens…

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.

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