Knight Automated Roving Robot

K.A.R.R. (acronym for Knight Automated Roving Robot) is a A.I. computer that controls the high-tech Knight Prototype, a black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am T-top automobile K.A.R.R. is the first model being the prototype of the car of the future, He was designed by Wilton Knight and co created by Charles Graiman. He was created in 1981.

Origin
K.A.R.R. was the prototype of the car of the future originally designed by Wilton Knight and built by his company Knight Industries. Upon completion of the vehicle, K.A.R.R.'s CPU was installed and activated. However, the programming made the computer potentially dangerous. The project was put on hold and the car was placed in storage until a solution could be found.

K.A.R.R. primary directive was self-preservation, making him a ruthless and unpredictable threat. He does not appear as streetwise as K.I.T.T. He is very naive and inexperienced, with a child-like perception of the world. This occasionally allows people to take advantage of his remarkable capabilities for their own gain. Despite this, he does ultimately consider himself superior and unstoppable and due to his programming, the villains don't usually get very far. K.A.R.R. demonstrates a complete lack of respect or loyalty, going so far on one occasion as to eject its driver to save weight and increase its odds of escape. K.A.R.R. replacement K.I.T.T. the Knight Industries Two Thousand was put in service in 1982.

Reactivation
Once K.I.T.T. was constructed, it was presumed that his prototype K.A.R.R. had been deactivated and dismantled. However, the latter did not occur and K.A.R.R. was placed in storage and forgotten following the death of Wilton Knight. When two thieves break into the warehouse where K.A.R.R. is "sleeping", they unwittingly reactivate him, and he escapes.

When the two thieves realize how useful the vehicle could be, they use K.A.R.R. to go on a crime spree. Michael and K.I.T.T. are sent to recover K.A.R.R. before anyone becomes hurt. Fearful of being taken back to storage and certain deactivation, K.A.R.R. was unwilling to go back to the Foundation, and he flees when Michael and K.I.T.T. come looking for him.

K.A.R.R.'s only weakness was his primary directive of self-preservation, and Michael uses this to his advantage. When K.A.R.R. threatens to destroy K.I.T.T. in a head-on collision, Michael plays chicken with him, knowing K.A.R.R. will veer out of K.I.T.T.'s path in order to protect himself. Unable to stop in time, K.A.R.R. drives off a cliff and seemingly explodes in the ocean.

The Return
K.A.R.R. was only believed to have been destroyed. he was damaged and ended up buried in the sand on the beach below the cliffs for two years. When the tide goes out, a young couple stumbles upon the partially buried car, digs it out, and reactivates it. This time, K.A.R.R. is furious and had only one clear motive: revenge against Michael and K.I.T.T.

K.A.R.R. forces the young couple to disguise him and then drive him around to carry out his plans. In a ravine, K.A.R.R. challenges Michael and K.I.T.T. to a final showdown. After releasing the young couple, K.A.R.R. fires a stolen laser and damages K.I.T.T. However, Michael and K.I.T.T. destroy K.A.R.R.'s laser by reflecting the beam back to the emitter. Damaged, K.A.R.R. prepares for another attack. K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R. both turbo boost and collide in mid-air. K.A.R.R. is blown to pieces. Michael and K.I.T.T. survive the impact; however amongst the wreckage, K.A.R.R.'s A.I. module is lying undamaged on the ground, with its LED still flickering.

K.A.R.R.'s Features
K.A.R.R. is loaded with special features, most of which could be activated by buttons on panels to either side of the steering wheel or on a console on the ceiling of the interior.

Some of K.A.R.R.'s features include the following:

Computer A.I. - The "brain" of K.A.R.R. was the Knight Prototype Microprocessor, the center of a self-aware cybernetic logic module that allowed K.A.R.R. to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. Although the belief that K.A.R.R. was truly sentient was never discussed on the show, K.A.R.R. was fully aware of himself.

The system could drive the car better than a human operator could.

He could provide music, video and video games via an in-dash entertainment system.

Molecular Bonded Shell - K.A.R.R. is armored with "Tri-Helical Plasteel 1000 MBS", or Molecular Bonded Shell plating which protects him from almost all forms of conventional firearms and explosive devices. They can only be harmed by heavy artillery and rockets, and even then, the blast usually leaves most of the car's shell intact and only damages internal components. The shell protects every part of the car including the tires. As a result, K.A.R.R. could act as a shield for explosives by driving over bombs and suppressing the blast. A laser is also capable of damaging the alloy, however the shell can only withstand a maximum of 2 shots before being neutralized.

The shell also protects against fire and electricity; however, it is vulnerable to some potent acids and at least one formula was made to completely neutralize the shell. Long exposure to seawater can weaken the shell.

The shell provides a frame tolerance of 223,000 lb (111.5 tons) and a front and rear axle suspension load of 57,000 lb (28.5 tons).

The shell is actually a combination of three secret substances referred together as the "Knight Compound". It was developed by Wilton Knight who entrusted parts of the formula to three separate people. Each individual knows only two pieces of the formula, ensuring that any two of them could make more of the Knight Compound in an emergency situation and that no one person would be able to make it.

Power System - K.A.R.R. is powered by the Knight Industries turbojet with modified afterburners and a computer controlled 8-speed turbodrive transmission. Specifications 0–60 mph in .2 seconds, standing to quarter mile 4.286 seconds. Electromagnetic hyper-vacuum disc brakes: 14 foot braking distance (70–0 mph).

Turbo Boost - K.A.R.R. was equipped with a Turbo Boost capability. The system consisted of a series of rear mounted undercarriage rocket motors, which allowed the car to accelerate to speeds in excess of 200 mph. The rockets could fire both forwards and backwards as needed. The system had one secondary use:

It could be used to provide power for pushing or pulling heavy objects when necessary.

Voice Synthesizer - K.A.R.R.'s Voice synthesizer allows K.A.R.R. as well as other similar vehichles logic modules to speak and communicate. Other sounds, such as a police raid to fool criminals or a wild animal's growl, could also be simulated. The Voice Synthesizer "speaks" through the Voice Modulator in the interior of the vehicle. K.A.R.R.'s primary spoken language was English, however by accessing his language module, he could speak fluently in Spanish and French. The module could also be adjusted to give K.A.R.R. different accents.

Electronic Jamming System - K.A.R.R. has an Electronic Jamming System which consists of three main components: the Electromagnetic Field Generator, Electronic Field Disrupter and the Microwave Ignition Sensor. The system can take control of electronic machines, allowing such diverse activites as cheating at slot machines, breaking electronic locks, scrambling security cameras, and withdrawing money from ATMs. The system was used most frequently to disable the engine and activate the brakes on a fleeing vehicle.

Anamorphic Equalizer - The equalizer device is a fiber-optic array of electronic "eyes". The scanner could see in all visual wavelengths as well as X-Ray and infrared. When K.A.R.R.'s surveillance mode was active, the bar would light up and make an ominous swooping sound as it panned left and right. Occasionally, the bar pulsed in different patterns and swept either rapidly or very slowly. It is possible to disable K.A.R.R.'s electronics by penetrating the equalizer with a laser making this one of his few vulnerabilities.

Etymotic Equalizer - This system allowed K.A.R.R. to hear sounds. An array of audio sensors were threaded throughout his interior and exterior.

Olfactory Sensor - K.A.R.R. could "smell" via an atmospheric sampling device mounted in his front bumper.

Microscanners - Microscanners are tiny audio and visual sensors embedded into the grooves of K.A.R.R.'s body. They allow for visual tracking and display of anything around the car.

Cruise Modes - These are K.A.R.R.'s three drive modes:

Normal Cruise - On "Normal", The pilot had control of the car. In an emergency, K.A.R.R. could still take over and activate Auto Cruise mode. In order to prevent this, one has to use the Manual Override.

Auto Cruise - In "Auto", K.A.R.R. could drive himself utilizing an advanced Auto Collision Avoidance system.

Pursuit - "Pursuit" is used during high-speed driving and is a combination of manual and computer assisted operation. K.A.R.R. could respond to road conditions faster than the Pilot's reflexes could; however, the pilot was technically in control of the vehicle and KARR helped guide certain maneuvers.

Oil Jets/Smoke Screen - K.A.R.R. could spray an oil slick and a plume of smoke from under the rear bumper.

Flame Thrower - K.A.R.R. has flame throwers mounted under his bumpers.

Telephone Comlink - The pilot could contact home base and communicate with F.L.A.G. and others using K.A.R.R.'s video display.

Surveillance Mode - Surveillance Mode did several things:

K.A.R.R. could detect people and vehicles and track their movements and discern proximity.

K.A.R.R. could gather structural schematics of buildings, vehicles, or other devices and help The pilot avoid potential danger when he was snooping.

K.A.R.R. could also monitor radio transmissions and telephone communications within a location and trace those calls.

K.A.R.R. could tap into computer systems to monitor, or upload and download information as long as he could break the access codes.

Infrared Tracking Scope - K.A.R.R. could monitor the position of specific vehicles in the area within 10 miles. For instance, if the pilot wanted to know the location of every police vehicle within 5 miles, K.A.R.R. could display a schematic on his monitors of all police vehicles relative to his position.

Deflatable Tires - K.A.R.R could deflate and reinflate his tires.

Fuel Processor - K.A.R.R. was powered by a turbine engine primarily fueled by hydrogen gas. However, his complex fuel processor allows him to run on any combustible liquid, even regular gasoline. K.A.R.R.'s actual fuel requirements and efficiency ratings were classified, However, when operating on fuels other than liquid hydrogen, K.A.R.R.'s fuel efficiency and power output may be lowered.

Self-Tinting Windows - K.A.R.R.'s windows could darken to opacity for various situations.

Voice Stress Analyzer - K.A.R.R. can process spoken voices and determine if someone may be lying..

Auto Doors, Sunroof, and Trunklid - K.A.R.R. could automatically open and close his doors and T-tops. He could also lock his doors to prevent unauthorized entry into his driver compartment. He could also open his hood automatically.

Rotating License Plate - K.A.R.R. can rotate his blank license plate to reveal a fictitious one reading "KARR".

Seat Ejection System - K.A.R.R. had two front ejection seats, mostly used when the pilot needed a boost to fire escapes or building roof tops.

Video Display Monitors - K.A.R.R. had two Cathode ray tube video display monitors on his dash for various readouts. They are controlled by two systems, the Graphic Translator (which sketches likenesses from verbal input) and the Anamorphic Equalizer (which gathered visual information from K.A.R.R.'s front scan bar) and microscanners.

Computer Print Out - K.A.R.R. could print hard copies of data on a dashboard-mounted printer.

Fire Extinguisher - K.A.R.R. could put out small fires from a CO2 sprayer in his bumpers.

Interior Oxygenator - K.A.R.R. could release oxygen into his driver compartment and provide air to passengers if he was ever submerged in water or buried in earth.

Two-Wheel Ski Drive - The Ski Mode setting allowed K.A.R.R. to "ski" (driving up on two wheels).

Vacuum - K.A.R.R. could expend all breathable air from the driver compartment,

Laser Powerpack - K.A.R.R. can fire a high powered ultra-frequency modulated laser capable of burning through steel plating. Like most of K.A.R.R.'s components, the schematics for the laser device are classified.

Appearance
K.A.R.R. was a black 1982 Trans Am with some custom body parts. The nose of the car was different from a stock trans arm being a much longer design. Due to the sun and seawater K.A.R.R. scanner got discolored to a amber color by the time he returned in 1984. K.A.R.R. later in 1984 got a two-tone paint job incorporating a silver lower body into his familiar all-black finish. originally K.A.R.R.'s scanner made a droning noise but after his fall of the cliff in 1982 his scanner sounds similar to K.I.T.T.'s with a slight reverb to it. The sound of K.A.R.R.'s engine originally rough and fierce sounds similar to K.I.T.T.'s, again affected by a reverb. when he returned in 1984.

Trivia
In Trust Doesn't Rust, K.A.R.R. checks basic human desires by querying an internal pre-loaded database, a parallel to the actual Wikipedia:Cyc project.

In Trust Doesn't Rust, the voice of K.A.R.R. was provided by voice actor Peter Cullen, better known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the The Transformers cartoon series. In K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R., K.A.R.R. was voiced by Paul Frees, best known as the voice of Ludwig Von Drake in the popular anthology series, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Frees was uncredited on-screen for his role, leading Peter Cullen to sometimes be wrongly credited as providing K.A.R.R.'s voice in this episode.

The creators gave K.A.R.R. a three bar LED voice display. Midway through Season One (from the episode Hearts of Stone), K.I.T.T. was given a three bar LED of his own (previously his voice display had been a flashing red square). K.I.T.T.'s "voice bars" were red and all appeared from the middle of the display; K.A.R.R.'s were yellow, and the outer two bars protruded from the top and bottom.

It is never explained how K.A.R.R. survived the seemingly fatal explosion at the conclusion of Trust Doesn't Rust. The only apparent damage that the vehicle sustained was a dislodged socket under the dashboard and disruption to the mysterious Alpha Circuits which are mentioned several times throughout the show. Bonnie explains in season one's Deadly Maneuvers that the Alpha Circuits on K.I.T.T. can only be damaged by doing something stupid, for example towing another vehicle. K.A.R.R. storms the Foundation's Mobile Semi in search of these Alpha Capacitors in K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R.

K.A.R.R. is parodied in the Adult Swim television series Stroker and Hoop; the duo drive a computerized talking vehicle named C.A.R.R., although he is not evil and depicted in a more comical role.

In the video game Knight Rider the Game 2 K.A.R.R. is allied with Garthe Knight.