The New York Police Department (NYPD) reenlists its robot dog, known as Digidog or Spot, to the force, the mayor of New York City (NYC), Eric Adams, announced in an event on Tuesday, April 12.
The robot dog police previously faced backlash from the public, forcing the NYPD to cancel its deal with the maker of the high-end crime-fighting machine, Boston Dynamics. In 2021, the police department removed the Digidog from its force.
NYPD's Robot Dog is Back
This time, The Verge reports that the NYPD's Digibog has made its comeback despite previous criticisms. Mayor Adams formally reintroduced the crime-fighting robot dog to the public as it returned to the police force in the city.
The city mayor proudly touts that the remote-controlled robot could help "save lives" as it is part of the NYPD for the second time. The event, wherein NYPD announced its new member, is joined by the commissioner of the police department, Keechant Sewell, alongside its other top brass.
Mayor Adam explains how the remote-controlled K-9 robot could help the police force operate in the city. The top city official says that the Digidog could be used in situations that are deemed hazardous for humans. The cyber dog can access the situation first instead of deploying police officers immediately.
In other words, the NYC mayor says that the NYPD will initially use the Digidog to assess high-risk situations. The police department notes that this should not only help save the lives of the police, but it could also protect the public.
To be more precise, the New York Police plans to use Digidog in counterterrorism incidents or crucial hostage negotiations.
According to NPR, the robot dog of the New York police was given back to its owners, the Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics, in April 2021. The former city mayor said back then that he was "glad the Digidog was put down," adding that it was "creepy and alienating."
Some critics of Digidog pointed out that the NYPD should have used the money spent for the robot, which was $94,000, on other projects, including school counseling. But the police department insisted that the robot dog was there to save lives.
NYPD Upgrades: StarChase and K5 ASR
In a Twitter post, Mayor Adams reiterates that the NYPD "has always been on the cutting edge of public safety," highlighting the recent upgrades that the police force recently introduced.
Besides Digidog or the robot dog, NBC New York notes that the NYPD unveiled new technology, such as the StarChase and the K5 Autonomous Security Robot (ASR). The latter will be used for automated patrolling in confined areas like transit stations in the city. On the other hand, StarChase aims to track vehicles, including automobiles used for crimes or stolen vehicles.
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