Visitors to Crocker Park may meet a new friend as the mixed-use retail, office and residential area's new security robot works through its testing phase.
Secret Agent Man, or SAM, is an autonomous security robot from Knightscope, a California-based security company. It is the first robot of its kind to be used in Northeast Ohio, said Crocker Park spokesperson Stacie Schmidt.
“We were really excited to bring him to our mixed-use property as Crocker Park's over 12 city blocks wide,” she said. “And I think we have 15 security guards on site, but you can always use a watchful eye. And SAM has four eyes instead of two.”
In addition to 360-degree vision, SAM has a thermal detector to distinguish between humans and mannequins, a license plate reader to identify cars and a recording device to assist security guards in case of a crime. He is five-foot-one and 420 pounds.
“If Sam records something or something occurs, we can go back in time and look at the video and help make sure that we track anything,” Schmidt said.
During his first week on the job, SAM learned the layout of grounds. He started off at a speed of two to three miles per hour but will get faster once he knows where obstacles are, Schmidt said.
“If you step in front of him, he stops. He's not going to run anyone over. He's not going to hit a car. He's not armed. He's just here to keep a watchful eye,” she added.
Although SAM cannot give directions or answer general questions, visitors have still enjoy interacting with him during his trial period, Schmidt said. He knows simple phrases such as “excuse me” and “hi, my name is SAM.” People have also enjoyed taking pictures with him and giving him hugs.
“I think Sam adds to that fun, unique experience that the kids are really excited to see a robot walking and talking,” she said. “It's just adding to the experience at Crocker Park and making sure that everyone feels safe knowing there's someone else out there watching after you.”
