engineering

Knightscope

Knightscope is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Knightscope rather than just read about it. In short: Knightscope, Inc. is an American security camera and robotics company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Knightscope designs, builds and deploys robots called Autonomous Data Robots (ADRs) for use in monitoring people in malls, parking lots, neighborhoods and other public areas.

Key takeaways

Knightscope belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Knightscope to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Knightscope from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Knightscope, Inc. is an American security camera and robotics company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Knightscope designs, builds and deploys robots called Autonomous Data Robots (ADRs) for use in monitoring people in malls, parking lots, neighborhoods and other public areas. Knightscope robots are fully autonomous using self-driving technology and are designed to alert police and security of incidents through sensors that detect weapons, read license plates and detect other suspicious activities. Knightscope was founded in 2013. Its founders stated that they were motivated to create autonomous security robots following the Sandy Hook School Shooting in 2012. Knightscope shipped their first robot in 2015. The company has four models of robots, designed for indoor, outdoor, and all terrain uses, as well as a model for stationary use. After several years of operation and several rounds of fundraising, primarily through equity crowdfunding, the company became public and launched an initial public offering (IPO) on January 27, 2022. Users of Knightscope robots have generally reported lower crime rates in the areas the robots were deployed, attributed mostly to physical deterrence by the robot's presence. Knightscope autonomous robots have raised concerns from critics over privacy and job displacement.

History

Knightscope was co-founded in 2013 by William Santana Li and Stacy Stephens. Li was previously an executive at Ford, and Stacy Stephens was a former police officer in Dallas, Texas. The founders stated that they decided to create security robots after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Knightscope says they hope the ADRs will help security and law enforcement personnel detect trouble while preventing and minimizing public injuries and fatalities. Knightscope robots first shipped in 2015. In 2017, Knightscope raised $20 million and indicated that they were seeking a partnership with Allied Universal. As of 2017, companies that have been confirmed as clients of Knightscope include Microsoft, Uber, Juniper Networks, the Sacramento Kings, LaGuardia Airport and NBC Universal. In March 2021, Knightscope won second place in the "Power of Passengers Challenge" security contest hosted by NASA and the TSA, winning a $20,000 grant. In May 2021, Knightscope announced that it had raised an additional $21.91 million through StartEngine, a private equity crowdfunding company. In December 2021, the company filed the paperwork for an initial public offering. Knightscope listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "KSCP" on January 27, 2022. It was unique in its IPO offering in that it offered its pre-IPO to its equity crowdfunding retail investors first, rather than large investment firms as is typically done in pre-IPOs. Knightscope is notable among public companies due to the fact that a significant portion of its seed funding came from equity crowdfunding, rather than venture capital. In October 2022, Knightscope acquired CASE Emergency systems, a maker of blue light security communicators commonly used in parks and college campuses. In March 2026, Knightscope acquired Event Risk, a national company that provides security guards and executive protection.

Models Knightscope has four different robot models: the K1, K3, K5 and K7. Clients are charged an hourly rate of $7 for each machine they use — a price designed to compete with the minimum wage in various states. Besides being autonomous, robot features include the ability to read license plates, run thermal scans, detect hidden weapons, and identify the faces of wanted people.

K5 The K5 model is a bullet-shaped robot that stands about 5 feet tall. It has twin panels of lights about two-thirds of the way up its body. There is also a small silver-colored flag of the United States on the left side of its body. The K5 patrols and charges autonomously and detects crime using a variety of sensors including a video camera, thermal imaging sensors, a laser range finder, radar, air quality sensors, and a detector for suspicious wireless signals. During its autonomous patrol, if the K5 detects abnormal noise and temperature change, or known criminals, it will alert the guards. The software package with which a user can respond to such alerts is called the Knightscope Security Operations Center.

Mobility The K5 moves at 1 to 3 miles per hour. It uses mapping software to create a geo-fenced perimeter that makes it stay within one area. The K5 creates a point cloud to show a 3D image of the surroundings in the geo-fenced area. The K5 also uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect objects in surroundings and movements of its wheels.

K1, K3 and K7 In 2016, one year after the release of the K5, Knightscope announced a K3 robot with a focus on indoor environments. K1 and K7 follow-up models were both launched in 2018. The K1 is a stationary scanner designed for entrances and exits to buildings and can detect weapons in a crowd. It won the Security Today New Product of the Year award. The K7 is a larger all-terrain unit with four wheels.

Reception

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Knightscope

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Knightscope claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Knightscope before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Knightscope ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Knightscope

In research: Knightscope appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Knightscope in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Knightscope is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2013 establishments in California, 2022 initial public offerings, American companies established in 2013, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Knightscope outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Knightscope in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Knightscope means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Knightscope out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Knightscope in simple terms?

Why does Knightscope matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Knightscope?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Knightscope.