Digidog returns to patrol the streets. Eric Adams (current mayor of New York) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) presented last Tuesday the new robotic escorts for New York police officers: among them, two Digidogs manufactured by Boston Dynamics.
The city has spent a total of $750,000 (or 688,131 euros) on these little yellow robots, which are equipped to the hilt (gas detector, cameras, sensors, etc.) In addition to the “dogs”, two other new gadgets were shown: a GPS shuttle to locate stolen vehicles and an AK5 autonomous security robot, intended to patrol the suburban ground. Of course, none of this will be exactly cheap: the cost of renting these technologies will be $1,750 per month.
However, Digidog is not new: the robot has already been the target of criticism from numerous civil rights advocates. Among the complaints, many commented that Digidog could be used for surveillance and monitoring of citizens. As a result, the Police Department recalled the robot.
Now, the city notes that the robots will be used only on emergency occasions that require it, such as detecting gas in buildings or exploring dangerous areas. According to the mayor, this is “the beginning of a series of tests to demonstrate how public safety has been transformed.”
