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Incident · Malfunction

Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017)

In July 2017 a Knightscope K5 security robot patrolling the Washington Harbour development in Washington, D.C. slipped on steps adjacent to a fountain and fell into the water, becoming an internet-famous 'drowned robot.' No injuries; the unit was damaged.

Occurred 2017-07-17 · Knightscope

Track Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017)

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (1)

  1. Museum of Failure · https://museumoffailure.com/exhibition/drowned-security-robot

Common questions

What happened in Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017)?
In July 2017 a Knightscope K5 security robot patrolling the Washington Harbour development in Washington, D.C. slipped on steps adjacent to a fountain and fell into the water, becoming an internet-famous 'drowned robot.' No injuries; the unit was damaged.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on July 17, 2017 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017)?
The incident is recorded as involving Knightscope on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017)?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017)?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Unreviewed · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-24

Verification posture

Unreviewed

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-24

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Knightscope K5 security robot slipped down steps into a fountain at Washington Harbour, DC (2017).

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Canonical ID 5d911225-09cd-4196-91b7-9ea8e68361af