Is that Knightscope with a ‘K,’ as in a knight in shining armor and the original form of law enforcement? Correct!
If it was NightScope, we’d spend a lot of time explaining that our robots operate during the daylight hours as well, not to mention it just doesn’t have very much flair. And Knightscope, instead of NightScope, is a much better basis for our mission. From our perspective, we’ve answered an honorable call to defend our clients against the evils lurking in the shadows seeking to disrupt their kingdoms. But while we’re not about to change our name, there are some reasons why you can also think of us as a highly effective “night-scope”. For one, we do a lot of work in the darkness of night, on many of those dark lonely and sometimes dangerous posts.
In the security industry, a “dark post” refers to a security officer post that is not filled or staffed. It’s quite the headache for a security team as it typically leaves the property extremely vulnerable. There are a number of reasons why dark posts occur, from shortage in staffing to simply abandonment of the post.
But another dark post in which the robots excel, is the one where it is literally dark due to lack of lighting. We often talk about the robots being highly visible and providing a strong physical deterrence with its strobe light flashing, visibly broadcasting its presence, and utilizing our famous futuristic patrol sound. But as much as they are highly visible at night, people are highly visible to the robot as well. Criminals love the cover of darkness, so being able to detect these individuals under the cover of darkness, even in zero light, is a key capability of our Autonomous Security Robots (ASRs).
There’s a lot of talk right now about thermal cameras, especially in their use to check for elevated body temperatures. But Knightscope with a ‘K’ has been utilizing thermal and infrared technologies on our robots for years now to detect people and other heat sources in zero-light environments.
Take a look at image #1 below. In this instance the thermal camera was able to detect the heat from a human being and also the vehicle, in a completely dark area of a client’s site. Whether this person was hiding in the bushes, sitting in a parked car or just leisurely strolling about a property in the middle of the night, their cover was blown with the robot’s thermal camera.
In image #2 we see the robot’s artificial intelligence at work, continuously analyzing the robot’s 360-degree video feed and, in this instance, detecting a person in the darker half of the scene. This image is an example of the technology built into the camera making adjustments to the shutter speed, reducing digital noise and increasing contrast to maintain the best possible situational awareness and continue to deliver high-definition color images.
As the lighting levels around the robot decrease, the camera technology switches from color mode to black and white, allowing it to “see” better with infrared light. Undeterred by these lighting conditions, the robots continue to analyze the video and effectively detect humans. Image #3 is a great example of a machine at work in these conditions.
The combination of infrared and thermal cameras on our robots puts mobile and stationary nighttime scopes in the hands of our clients. If you need some help with your dark posts, either type we’ve discussed or both that we covered, please reach out to us. And don’t forget, that it is Knightscope with a K!
