San Antonio International Airport is set to enhance its security measures with the introduction of an autonomous robot.

Following a 7 to 3 vote by the San Antonio city council on Thursday, city officials sanctioned a year-long contract with Knightscope, a California-based developer specializing in autonomous security robots.

The agreement involves renting the K5 robot for $21,000.

Weighing 420 lbs and standing at 5ft 4in, the two-legged, two-armed robot travels at 3 miles per hour. It is slated to be deployed at the airport within the next two months, as reported by local sources.

Knightscope’s K5 is designed for outdoor use and boasts autonomous recharging capabilities without the need for human intervention, The Guardian reported.

Key features of the K5, as outlined on Knightscope’s website, include 360-degree and eye-level video streaming, people detection during specific restricted hours, thermal anomaly detection, and license plate recognition.

Jesus Saenz, the director of airports for the city, mentioned that the K5 will be deployed to address door alarms at the airport, strategically positioned near doors where alarms are frequently triggered.

In the event of an alarm, the K5 will capture an image of the individual involved and transmit the information to the airport’s command center personnel.

This process enables officials to assess whether the individual is permitted access, as reported by San Antonio Express-News.

Written by B.C. Begley