Allied Universal has turned to Silicon Valley to sell security robots to its customers. The Conshohocken, Pa.-based global security company this week announced a partnership with Knightscope Inc., a provider of autonomous security robots, or ASRs.
Effective immediately, Allied Universal Technology Services, a division of Allied Universal, will begin offering the following Knightscope security robots and products in the U.S.:
- The K5, an outdoor mobile ASR that is used primarily for surveillance for large outdoor events.
- The K3, an indoor mobile ASR that is smaller than the K5 and is designed to be used in places such as malls, warehouses, and hospitals.
- The K1, a stationary ASR that can be used either indoors or outdoors in places such as parking lots, pedestrian entrances, and offices.
- The Knightscope Security Operations Center, a browser-based interface end users operate to access and manage their robots.
The companies added that they will provide full support, service, and maintenance.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Knightscope said its robots are outfitted with cameras, microphones, lidar sensors, GPS navigation systems, sonar, and more to help them navigate and survey their environments.
Allied Universal Technology specializes in providing safety surveillance products, including video cameras, alarm monitoring, and emergency communication systems.
“Partnering with Allied Universal is a perfect recipe for success—robots are deployed to do the monotonous, computational heavy work, while the strategic, hands-on activities are the responsibility of the humans, stated William Santana Li, chairman and CEO of Knightscope.
Robots help deter crime
By working together, the companies said they hope to “deter crime and enhance situational awareness.”
“The partnership with Knightscope allows us to expand our delivery of smart cutting-edge technologies to enhance public safety, allowing our customers to focus on their core businesses,” said Carey Boethel, president of Allied Universal Technology Services.
Knightscope claimed that its robots have helped reduce crime. Last year, the company reported data collected by the Huntington Park Police Department in California, which had been using a K5 ASR since 2019.
In comparison with 2018, there was “a 10% reduction in calls for service, a 46% reduction in crime reports and a 27% increase in arrests” in 2019, according to the company.
Knightscope to use funding to grow
Last month, Knightscope closed on a $22 million IPO and began trading on the Nasdag Stock Exchange under the ticket symbol “KSCP.”
The company said it plans to use the funding to help build its fleet.
“We’ve brought on thousands and thousands of new investors in Knightscope as we embark on the second chapter of a very long book in helping to make the United States of America the safest country in the world,” Li said at the time.