Photo: Fox5NY
Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot is designed for a variety of activities and fields of action. Law enforcement is one of them since its use has the potential to defuse potentially dangerous situations and protect officers’ lives.
Back in December 2020, the NYPD, New York’s finest, announced the department had acquired a Spot and would use it on a trial basis. In fact, even back then, the robot dog had been included in two hostage situations, both of them with a high level of risk. Fortunately, both concluded in a satisfactory manner.
Also then, the NYPD revealed that Spot was now going by Digidog and was sporting a brand new blue coat of paint. After all, you want people to recognize it for a police dog, robot as it is, and not imagine the worst.
But as the video below shows, Digidog still gets weird reactions. Just this week, it was brought out for another hostage situation, this time in an apartment building in the Bronx, and at least one of the bystanders had to confess to the camera that it was “creepy” seeing it walk down the street. That aside, the robot dog did its job: it went in, climbed the stairs, and came out after its job was done.
The Fox video report doesn’t mention how the situation ended, but reports online note that the hostage emergency was a false alarm.
Spot is just one of the robots offered by Boston Dynamics, and it’s a favorite with law enforcement. It’s packed with cameras and sensors, as well as artificial intelligence that allows it to operate on its own, though it can also be moved around by a human operator. It can climb stairs and, with the extra-long arm added last month, it can open doors to peek inside. The NYPD chose it because it also allows for two-way communication, which means officers can talk to the people inside without being at risk.
As of the moment of writing, Digidog is still used on a trial basis.
Also then, the NYPD revealed that Spot was now going by Digidog and was sporting a brand new blue coat of paint. After all, you want people to recognize it for a police dog, robot as it is, and not imagine the worst.
But as the video below shows, Digidog still gets weird reactions. Just this week, it was brought out for another hostage situation, this time in an apartment building in the Bronx, and at least one of the bystanders had to confess to the camera that it was “creepy” seeing it walk down the street. That aside, the robot dog did its job: it went in, climbed the stairs, and came out after its job was done.
The Fox video report doesn’t mention how the situation ended, but reports online note that the hostage emergency was a false alarm.
Spot is just one of the robots offered by Boston Dynamics, and it’s a favorite with law enforcement. It’s packed with cameras and sensors, as well as artificial intelligence that allows it to operate on its own, though it can also be moved around by a human operator. It can climb stairs and, with the extra-long arm added last month, it can open doors to peek inside. The NYPD chose it because it also allows for two-way communication, which means officers can talk to the people inside without being at risk.
As of the moment of writing, Digidog is still used on a trial basis.
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