File under 'high-tech urban dystopia.”
After public backlash, an "autonomous security robot" deployed to ward off homeless people has been retired.
"The San Francisco SPCA, an animal advocacy and pet adoption group, put a security robot to work outside its facilities in the gentrifying Mission neighborhood … to deter homeless people from setting up camps along the sidewalks," reports Business Insider.
The robot, K9—which is plastered in pictures of cute animals—is part of a fleet created by Mountain View startup Knightscope. They're used by companies including Uber and Microsoft as a cheaper, "superhuman" replacement for human security guards.
"The company's robots don't fight humans," Business Insider assures readers. "They use equipment like lasers, cameras, a thermal sensor, and GPS to detect criminal activity and alert the authorities."
That wasn't enough to placate the many people who expressed outrage and disappointment on Twitter before the bot was retired; some expressed particular frustration that the anti-homeless campaign was launched by an animal shelter.
FULL STORY: Robots are being used to deter homeless people from setting up camp in San Francisco
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service