Robot ‘drowning’ prompts outpouring of tributes

The security robot apparently fell into a fountain at a Washington office building.

An autonomous security robot has fallen into a fountain, images and tributes of it going viral on social media - picture courtesy @bilalfarooqui Source: Twitter

A memorial has been set up in honour of a robotic security device that accidentally drove itself into a water feature.

The robot, designed to patrol areas for security risks, had only been on duty at the Washington DC building for a week before the incident.

It was spotted floating in the fountain by passersby, but was likely damaged beyond repair.

The Knightscope machine had in-built cameras and a microphone that can communicate with those nearby.

The company said it designed robots not to replace humans, but to work alongside them.

Tributes began accumulating for the robot, nicknamed ‘Steve’, with people expressing their sadness at his loss.

Images of the device’s watery demise spread quickly across social media, with some speculating over its true intentions.

Knightscope has apologised on the robot’s behalf, saying it just wanted to go for a swim like people do.

It comes a year after another machine hit a toddler in a California shopping centre, leaving him with bruises.

The robots are programed to travel along predetermined routes, at a speed of around 2 to 5 km per hour.