The Department of New York Police to reinstate Digidog to its rankshe robot quadruped that had been “suspended” in 2021 after receiving strong criticism from the public.
Digital -also known as Spot- is a remote-controlled four-legged automaton. Manufactured by the specialist robotics company Boston Dynamicsit is designed to work in situations that may pose a threat to humanssuch as inspections in dangerous areas and surveillance of construction sites.
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He New York Mayor Eric Adamsannounced the news this week and assured that using Digidog in the city can save lives.
The New York Police will reincorporate its robot dog to patrol the streets. (Photo: EFE)
Adams stated that robots are here to stay and that its acquisition will be of great help to the institution. “We cannot be afraid of technology,” said the official. And he added: “A few loud people opposed her, and we took a step back. But I work by looking at what is best for the city”.
The city’s re-adoption of Digidog is unearthing the same concerns about the use of public funds for this issue by the NYPD, along with the effect that the robot equipped with cameras could have about privacy and public safety.
He technology watch project Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), a group that advocates against the use of surveillance at the local and state level, denounced Mayor Adams’ move. “The NYPD is turning bad science fiction into terrible surveillance,” Albert Fox Cahn, STOP’s executive director, said in a statement. “NY deserves real security, not an imitation of Robocop. Wasting public money to invade the privacy of New Yorkers is a dangerous police trick,” they said.
However, there has yet to be a case where the Digidog has been used as a weapon, and to do so would be against Boston Dynamics’ terms of service.
Digidog’s CV and past reviews
NYPD used Digidog twice. In 2020during a operational in which an armed man had barricaded himself inside a building. A year later, she redeployed the robot in the middle of a home invasion to take a look at what was happening inside the house.
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After both interventions, the citizens raised their voices and the criticisms against the robot did not wait. Many people demonstrated against Digidog and they argued that the use of the robot meant a militarization of the police. In addition, its use as an instrument of surveillance.
For these reasons, the New York police had decommissioned the four-legged android in 2021. However, this week, the municipal authorities affirmed that the New York police will return to incorporate robots and announced that it will acquire two “cyberdogs” for a total of $750,000which will only be used in life-threatening situations, such as bomb threats.
