Ohio City's Robot Cop Spotted No Crimes

Dublin, Ohio's brief experiment with a "robot cop" is over. The Columbus-area suburb has shut down its pilot program involving "DubBot," a rolling security robot that spent less than a year roaming a city parking garage before being retired on May 12 and shipped back to maker Knightscope. Originally described to WCMH as a "force multiplier," the robot was equipped with 360-degree cameras, two-way communication, and an emergency call button.

But as the Columbus Dispatch reports, its presence did not lead to any arrests or tickets, and it didn't flag a single incident that required an officer response. Dublin had initially inked a $238,440 two-year agreement for two robots, but expects to ultimately pay $67,548 for its use of the one DubBot, which roamed the garage for about 10 months.