In a move to boost security measures, San Antonio International Airport is set to welcome an unusual addition to its team – a 420-pound autonomous robot from California-based company Knightscope. After a 7-3 vote by the San Antonio city council on Thursday, officials approved a one-year contract worth $21,000 to rent Knightscope's K5 robot.

The 5-foot-4-inch tall robot, capable of traveling at 3 miles per hour, is expected to make its debut at the airport within the next two months, according to local reports. The K5 is designed for outdoor use and can recharge itself autonomously without human intervention.

Equipped with advanced features like 360-degree and eye-level video streaming, people detection during restricted hours, thermal anomaly detection, and license plate recognition, the robot's primary role will be to respond to door alarms at the airport.

Jesus Saenz, the city's director of airports, explained the rationale behind the decision, stating, "Daily, we have door alarms that are opened inappropriately, inaccurately or by accident, and it requires a response, based on the federal regulations that we have to adhere to, to maintain an overall security posture of the airport."

Upon detecting an alarm, the K5 will capture an image of the individual and relay the information to the airport's command center personnel, allowing officials to determine whether the person has authorized access.

Saenz was quick to allay concerns about potential surveillance, emphasizing, "This is not going to be utilized for surveillance – in no purposes whatsoever. This is not to surveillance individuals. This is a response to door alarms that occur at the airport."

However, not all council members were on board with the idea. Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, representing San Antonio's second district and one of the three dissenting votes, expressed reservations about the robot's data collection capabilities. "It's not your intention to create a space where surveillance is happening … But if the robot has the ability to collect data and information and transmit that, that possibility remains. That door is open," McKee-Rodriguez cautioned.

Teri Castillo, another council member representing the city's fifth district, inquired whether the robot would replace any airport employees. Saenz reassured her that the K5 would "supplement our overall security posture" without displacing human workers.

The deployment of the K5 in San Antonio follows a pilot program in New York City, where the robot patrolled Times Square's subway station last year. At the time, Mayor Eric Adams hailed the technology, saying, "Eventually, this is going to be part of the fabric of our subway system." However, the pilot program ended earlier this month, with a spokesperson for Adams stating, "The Adams administration is constantly exploring innovative technologies that can advance the work we've done to bring down crime and keep New Yorkers safe, while maximizing the use of taxpayer dollars."

As San Antonio prepares to welcome the autonomous security robot, the debate over the balance between advanced technology and privacy concerns continues to shape the discourse around public safety measures.