“In Loving Memory of our security robot... but more importantly our friend,” one missive read.
The robot also apparently had a name. It was Steve.
Steve was about four feet tall and oblong. He was a roving robot charged with keeping an eye on the business and retail complex. He was new to the job, with about a week under his belt. While on patrol Monday, Steve fell down some concrete stairs and into the ankle-deep waters of a fountain. He was eventually rescued.
Knightscope, a Silicon Valley start-up that made the robot, said the accident was "an isolated incident" and promised to deliver a new robot this week for free.
Photos of Steve's misfortune set off a flurry of online attention.
The memorial featured a photo of a candle with the words "Never Forgotten," a box of tissues, photos of people posing with the robot, several letters, a set of batteries (for the robot hereafter, perhaps) and what appeared to be a cassette tape.
An email sent to the office complex's tenants by the building manager noted that Steve's accident was "not an ideal situation," but promised that "When we re-deploy, we are aiming for less swimming on our patrols!"