The Knightscope K5 security robot was being used by the San Francisco branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to stop homeless people from sleeping near the organization's building in the Mission District.
However, the local community quickly took to social media to voice their complaint against the robot.
"The money that was spent on these robots could have gone towards homeless shelters," one local tweeted, while another described the robot's use as "shameful."
However, angry words were not enough for some residents.
According to social media reports, several locals smeared the robot's sensors with barbecue sauce, knocked it to the ground and covered it with a tarp. A Twitter user also posted that they saw feces smeared on the robot.
— Tyson Kallberg (@TysonKallberg) November 9, 2017
The SPCA defended their decision. "We weren't able to use the sidewalks at all when there's needles and tents, and bikes, so from a walking standpoint find the robot much easier to navigate than an encampment," Jennifer Scarlett, SPCA president, told the International Business Times.
The shelter told media outlet Dezeen that the purpose of the robot was to help keep its employees safe following a surge in crime attributed to an increase in the number of homeless people in the surrounding area.
— Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) December 17, 2017
"In the last year, we've experienced a great deal of car break-ins, theft and vandalism that has made us concerned about the security and safety of the people on our campus," SPCA media relations manager Krista Maloney told Dezeen.
— hwingo (@hwingo) December 14, 2017
"The security robot that we've been using on a pilot basis has been very effective at deterring these criminal incidents. The device helps us prevent crime; it doesn't attempt to remove homeless people from the sidewalk," she added.
The K5 robot has four cameras monitoring its surroundings and can move at a maximum speed of three miles per hour. It is 1.5 meters tall and almost a meter wide.
Knightscope's K5 model is already under scrutiny for other mishaps making it a danger both to others and to itself, including knocking over a toddler in Silicon Valley and plunging itself into a fountain in Washington, DC.
