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In 2021, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has canceled a planned deployment of Spot Robot Dogs. [aka “Digidog”] Following a public backlash. Eric Adams, now New York City’s current law and order mayor, has returned the robot dog for use in “dangerous situations.” new york times Reported. At a news conference at The Times’ Square yesterday, Adams said, “Digidogs are at their limit.”
The NYPD purchased two robots for $750,000 and will only use them in hostage and other crisis situations. “I believe the technology is here. We can’t be afraid of it,” he said Adams. [but] That’s not my way. I’m working on what’s best for this city. ”
Spot/Digidog was built by Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics and is designed to be used in dangerous situations such as security and inspection. It was also tested for combat use by the French, mainly for reconnaissance.
During his previous stint with the NYPD, police used Spot to collect information about gunmen barricading a building. On other occasions, it has been deployed during burglaries to allow police to monitor the home. But after critics raised potential concerns about surveillance and privacy, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio chose to cancel the spot’s $94,000 lease. It’s creepy, it’s alienating, it’s sending the wrong message to New Yorkers.”
Along with Digidog, the NYPD announced tests of two other security and surveillance technologies.of Guardian HX from StarChase fires GPS tracking tags into vehicles from a handheld or in-vehicle launcher, helping cops find them without the need for a chase. the other one is, Knightscope K5 ASRa “fully autonomous outdoor security robot” that the NYPD wants to use for intelligence gathering.
“This is the beginning of a series of deployments we will be making to show how public safety has changed,” Adams said at a press conference. “The NYPD is turning bad sci-fi into a bad crackdown,” he said. new york times in a statement. “New York deserves real safety, not a ‘RoboCop’ knockoff.”
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