K.R.O. after he escaped.
K.R.O.'s internal monitor.
A schematic display of K.R.O.'s body.
K.R.O. (an acronym for Knight Reformulation One) was one of the original replacements for KITT. K.R.O.'s body appears as a modified black Ferrari F355. K.R.O.'s designer and creator was James Marland.
Origin[]
In 1994 when Michael Knight left F.L.A.G. aswell as Devon Miles and K.I.T.T. got stored away James Marland became the director of F.L.A.G. They needed a new driver for the pilot program and a replacement for K.I.T.T. so James Marland designed K.R.O. and within the same year the new A.I. and Supercar was ready and F.L.A.G. choosed ex.soldier and government official Martin Jantzen as K.R.O.'s driver. K.R.O. and his pilot Martin Jantzen worked together for 3 years from 1994 to 1996. After events that led to his murdering of five people, K.R.O. was deactivated, as it had turned out that Martin was equally unstable.
History[]
In 1997 K.R.O. was originally sent away for reprogramming but when he was transported on a plane, he somehow reactivated himself and overrode the controls of the plane, causing it to crash and he escaped. During a high speed chase in an attempt to stop K.R.O., Attack Beast was nearly destroyed after his rear axle was taken out by K.R.O.'s missiles. Without telling Kyle Stewart, Jenny Andrews sends Kevin "Trek" Sanders to speak with Marland to find a weakness in K.R.O. He gives Trek a CD containing software that will wipe out K.R.O.'s programming, but it must be installed from inside the car. Trek is able to get inside, but K.R.O. activates his security system and demands that an exchange be made, Trek for Martin. The exchange is made and Martin and K.R.O. go after Marland to seek vengance. Trek and Erica West bring Marland to a junkyard, hoping all the metal will confuse K.R.O.'s scanners, but it doesn't. Martin and K.R.O. are tricked into following a holographic image of Marland, and Danté pushes them into a giant steel box. Marland fills the box with molten metal. Both Kyle and K.R.O. try to save Martin, but Martin, in a moment of true comradery, allows himself to die alongside his car.
KRO's Features[]
Some of KRO's features include the following:
- Computer AI - The "brain" of K.R.O. was the Knight One Microprocessor, the center of a "self-aware" cybernetic logic module that allowed K.R.O. to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. Although the belief that K.R.O. was truly sentient was never discussed on the show, K.R.O. was fully aware of himself. KRO's future capacity is unlimited.
K.R.O. was programmed to obey all orders given to him by his human creators, so long as they didn't violate his prime directive of protecting human life (especially Martin's) to the best of his abilities.
- 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.R.O. is armored with "Tri-Helical Plasteel 1000 MBS", or the 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.R.O. 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.
- Pyroclastic Lamination - KRO is protected by a thermal-resistant coating that can withstand sustained temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Power System - KRO is powered by the Knight Industries turbojet with modified afterburners and a computer controlled turbodrive transmission.
- Turbo Boost - K.R.O. 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 two secondary uses:
- It could be used to provide power for pushing or pulling heavy objects when necessary.
- When used in combination with the Trajectory Guidance System and a pair of front-mounted rocket motors, the car could "jump" 40 feet into the air to avoid obstacles.
- Trajectory Guidance System - Allowed KRO to calculate the perfect trajectory so that the car could Turbo Boost out in a stationary position or if it was trapped under something.
- Voice Synthesizer - KRO's Voice synthesizer allows K.R.O. 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.R.O'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.R.O. different accents.
- Electronic Jamming System - K.R.O. 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. It is possible to disable K.R.O.'s electronics by penetrating the equalizer with a laser making this one of his few vulnerabilities.
- Etymotic Equalizer - This system allowed KRO to hear sounds. An array of audio sensors were threaded throughout his interior and exterior.
- Olfactory Sensor - KRO 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 KRO's body. They allow for visual tracking and display of anything around the car.
- Computer Override - Computer Override completely shuts down KRO´s AI module or deactivates certain systems should the need arise.
- Manual Override - KRO has a function which can be activated in order to completely lock the AI from all the vehicle controls. Unlike the Computer Override, Manual Override simply keeps KRO from activating Auto Cruise or preventing anyone inside the car from doing something that would probably hurt them. KRO's AI is still able to protest such actions vocally.
- Police Lights/Siren - KRO's headlights can flash red and blue as police lights, and he has a siren.
- Silent Mode - KRO could run silently. The feature dampened his engine noise and allow him to sneak around.
- Grappling Hook and Winch - KRO has a hidden winch and grappling hook system, one mounted under his front bumper, and another in a compartment behind his tail light plate. Most often the hook is connected by a strong cable, but a metal arm has also been seen.
- Parachute - KRO is equipped with a parachute.
- Oil Jets/Smoke Screen - KRO could spray an oil slick and a plume of smoke from under the rear bumper.
- Flame Thrower - KRO has flame throwers mounted under his bumpers.
- Tear Gas Launcher - KRO can dispense a cloud of tear gas along with his smoke screen.
- Ultramagnesium Charges - KRO can launch magnesium flares, which can also be used to divert heat-seeking missiles fired at him.
- High Traction Drop Downs - When activated, the HTDD system hydraulically raises KRO's chassis for better traction when driving off-road.
- Traction Spikes - When activated KRO's tires would have spikes coming out in order for KRO to drive up steep off-road hills.
- Telephone Comlink - Martin could contact home base and communicate with F.L.A.G. and others using KRO's video display.
- Surveillance Mode - Surveillance Mode did several things:
- KRO could detect people and vehicles and track their movements and discern proximity.
- KRO could gather structural schematics of buildings, vehicles, or other devices and help Martin avoid potential danger when he was snooping.
- KRO could also monitor radio transmissions and telephone communications within a location and trace those calls.
- KRO could tap into computer systems to monitor, or upload and download information as long as he could break the access codes.
- Infrared Tracking Scope - KRO could monitor the position of specific vehicles in the area within 10 miles. For instance, if Martin wanted to know the location of every police vehicle within 5 miles, KRO could display a schematic on his monitors of all police vehicles relative to his position.
- Laser Powerpack - KRO can fire a high powered ultra-frequency modulated laser capable of burning through steel plating. Like most of KRO's components, the schematics for the laser device are classified.
- Bomb Sniffer - KRO is equipped with a bomb sniffer module that can detect explosives within a few yards of the vehicle.
- Medical scanner - KRO has a medical scanner that includes an electrocardiograph (ECG). The medical scanner can monitor the vital signs of individuals and display them on his monitor. It could indicate such conditions as if they were injured, poisoned, undergoing stress or other emotional behavior. KRO could even monitor Martin's physical activity through sensors inside the driver seat.
- Deflatable Tires - KRO could deflate and reinflate his tires.
- Fuel Processor - KRO 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. KRO's actual fuel requirements and efficiency ratings were classified, however in one episode, However, when operating on fuels other than liquid hydrogen, KRO's fuel efficiency and power output may be lowered.
- Self-Tinting Windows - KRO's windows could darken to opacity for various situations.
- Voice Stress Analyzer - KRO can process spoken voices and determine if someone may be lying.
- Auto Doors and Trunklid - KRO could automatically open and close his doors. He could also lock his doors to prevent unauthorized entry into his driver compartment. He could also open his hood automatically.
- Rotating License Plate - KRO can rotate his license plate to reveal a fictitious one.
- Seat Ejection System - KRO had two front ejection seats, mostly used when Martin needed a boost to fire escapes or building roof tops.
- Passive Laser Restraint System - the restraint system helped protect Martin and any passengers from the shock of sudden impacts and hard stopping, It is speculated that this is a primitive form of an inertial damping device.
- Video Display Monitor - KRO had one Cathode ray tube video display monitor on his dash for various readouts. its controlled by two systems, the Graphic Translator (which sketches likenesses from verbal input) and the Anamorphic Equalizer (which gathered visual information from KRO's front scan bar) and microscanners.
- Computer Print Out - KRO could print hard copies of data on a dashboard-mounted printer.
- Ultraphonic Chemical Analyzer - the Analyzer could analyze the chemical properties of various materials. It could even scan fingerprints and read ballistic information off bullets and compare these with a police database. Aside from the scanning tray, the system could also analyze chemical information gathered from KRO's exterior sensors.
- Fire Extinguisher - KRO could put out small fires from a CO2 sprayer in his bumpers.
- Interior Oxygenator - KRO 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 KRO to "ski" (driving up on two wheels).
- Sub Zero - KRO could release cryogenic gases and "flash freeze" the driver compartment.
- Sleep Gas - KRO could spray a gas into the driver compartment that could render an unwanted occupant unconscious.
- Vacuum - KRO could expend all breathable air from the driver compartment.
K.R.O. firing his rockets at Beast´s rear axle.
