Knightscope, developer of autonomous security robots and emergency communication systems, announced its plans to enhance public safety using Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company intends to launch a Smart Parking Enforcement feature in 2024, leveraging AWS’s extensive technology infrastructure.
In its initial year in Huntington Park, California, Knightscope’s K5 Autonomous Security Robot (ASR) recorded a decrease in service calls by 10% and a decline in crime reports by 46%. Following this success, the City Council renewed their contract with Knightscope for the fifth consecutive year. The company utilized a variety of AWS services for this project, such as Amazon EC2 for scalability and Amazon CloudTrail for security analysis.
Cosme Lozano, Chief of Police at Huntington Park, commended the integration of the K5 ASR, highlighting its benefits for public safety and community perception. Furthermore, an announcement from New York City revealed plans for Knightscope’s K5 to patrol a subway station in Manhattan this summer, assisting NYPD officers in maintaining safety and community engagement.
Tackling the Parking Challenge
Parking, particularly in populated urban areas, presents a variety of challenges, from managing limited spaces to handling the various uses of parking zones. Market Data Forecast predicts a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.8% in parking management and smart mobility in North America from 2022 to 2027. With 868 vehicles per 1,000 people in the U.S., as reported by McKinsey & Company, the importance of secure parking is evident.
Knightscope’s ASRs are designed to deter criminal activities in parking areas, offering advanced technology protection. The company’s systems have shown a reduction in crime rates since 2015 in the areas they’ve been deployed.
William Santana Li, Knightscope’s CEO, emphasized the complexities in today’s parking regulations and expressed the company’s eagerness to address these challenges with their upcoming Smart Parking Enforcement feature.
Using AWS’s advanced infrastructure, Knightscope is set to offer more autonomous solutions. Future endeavors include providing a comprehensive audit of various parking services, ensuring a safer environment. Such automated systems will manage repetitive tasks, allowing human operators to focus on decision-making and enforcement.
Ryan Reynolds, the Transportation and Justice and Public Safety Manager at AWS, expressed AWS’s commitment to customer-focused innovation and lauded Knightscope’s decade-long association with AWS.
