I personally very much like the idea of having a robot guard in the subway stations. Especially since Korea has faced some problems recently about people with knives making disruptions in the subway stations. Also, sexual harassment has always been a problem in subways because they don’t have evidence and because there are no cameras. But now, the robots can record everything to help people be safe and sound. The robot also looks very huge and cute which I think is a point that young children might like.
— Leo, seoul
I am both skeptical and supportive of the robot cop. The idea of what it is might be beneficial. The robot saves money, will stop some crime, and doesn’t seem too nosy as long as there aren’t that many in a certain area. But the idea isn’t always what comes to fruition. I don’t trust that the robot will be able to prevent crime by itself well, I don’t trust that eventually the robots will continue to run without eventually getting the ability to have facial recognition, and I don’t trust that the robot will not make mistakes or malfunction. As long as the robot doesn’t necessarily directly interfere with people, like if all the robot does is be a system that alerts cops to come, or people can use to alert cops to help, and the robot doesn’t get too much surveillance, like facial recognition I would be in support of it.
— Dylan, glenbard west HS
The simple answer is no. A hulking security camera on wheels is probably the farthest thing from a solution to the crime happening around the city. It’s not even a probable start; the inability to take action, the expenses, the obvious avoidance of the real problem. The government needs to stop looking for flashy, technological shortcuts to solve a much larger problem. If the government cannot figure out a solution to prevent crime with their police force, full of trained officers with the capacity for humanity and understanding, what will a cold piece of steel have to offer? When I think of someone in a crisis, I don’t imagine them running to a glorified camera, a robot that can offer at best, documentation of a crime or an alert to an officer but will stand silently, unable to prevent a crime from happening right in front of it. My biggest problem is that the government has put more money into another project that is not proven to have a positive impact while ignoring the problems with their already established task force. I would support a program like this if I knew there was a sure improvement in the lives of citizens with a machine like this available, but without knowing what this is going to do exactly to assist, many people, including myself, will not advocate for it.
— Lucy, Glenbard West IL
Currently, robots are replacing lots of jobs, especially jobs requiring physical labor. As we can see in this photo, a robot is also used for security in the subway station. I don’t trust robots in every way, but I think they would be able to monitor passengers and people better than security guards. I see lots of cameras mounted inside the robot, which will be in place of the security guard’s sharp eyes. Those cameras will probably have a function that humans can’t, such as scanning objects. In addition, I see wheels that’ll help the robot move. Due to these functions that I can expect, I would welcome this robot in my town.
— Noak, SPPS
Although New York City is going to deploy a security robot in one of its subway stations, I would most definitely not welcome one in my town or city. There are so many things that could go wrong, and like Mr. Radlein exclaimed, “What if someone pushed it off the platform? Does it [even] have brakes to stop itself?” Moreover I just don’t like the concept of having robots replacing humans. They require programming, which means all their behavior must be pre-determined. They typically cannot handle unexpected situations. So if they are not programmed for the situation, they cannot work around it because they lack critical thinking. In addition they are not reliable, so why should we trust them to be a police officer or even a security guard? And most importantly, they affect the environment negatively because they require energy in order to operate. Therefore, the more we use them, the more energy would be required. For all these reasons, security robots would most definitely not be welcomed in my town.
— Daniya, Glenbard West
