CNBC Next-gen robots: The latest victims of workplace abuse

With jobs it’s oftentimes not the work that’s difficult, but the people.

Take STEVE, for instance. Throughout his career his brothers have been knocked over by drunkards, bullied by schoolkids and even sprayed with graffiti.

But STEVE is not a person. He is an autonomous security robot resembling a cross between a rocket ship and R2D2 and is officially called the K5 Security Technology Enhancement Vehicle — STEVE, for short.