A 300-pound, five-foot-tall robot has been deployed at Union Park in Wesley Chapel to step up security in the neighborhood, as well as other Metro Development Group properties, Fox 13 reports.
The mobile machine — formally called an autonomous data machine — is nicknamed Deputy Metro, according to Metro Development Group Vice President of Operations Kartik Goyani. It is a Knightscope K5 machine, one of which gained attention this summer for taking a dive into a pond in Washington, D.C.
The technology is already being used with more success at retail and office properties. The one-year pilot program marks its first use to patrol a Pasco County community.
The unarmed robot's essential task is to watch with four high-definition, 60-degree cameras, as well as an infrared sensor, so that it can notify law enforcement in real time of suspicious activity. The machine also sports a two-way intercom so people can call for help using it.
The machine is still in the testing phase. Metro Development Group is working with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office to give officials access to the video the Deputy Metro records.
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