The New York Police Department (NYPD) deployed its robotic dog inside a Manhattan public housing complex in the United States, a viral video shows, amid privacy concerns and the fear of a dystopian future when robots hunt and kill humans.
The video shared on Twitter shows the blue and black, four-legged ¡°Digidog¡± from Boston Dynamics trotting out of the crime scene and then slowly descending the stairs as bystanders look on in shock. "I've never seen nothing like this before in my life," a woman can be heard saying, who then goes on to compare it to the R2-D2 droid from Star Wars.
The remote-controlled bot, made by Boston Dynamics, has been deployed to a handful of crime scenes and hostage situations by the NYPD, including a home invasion in February last year. The 70-pound robotic dog, which comes equipped with automated sensors, lights, and cameras capable of collecting "limitless data,"? allows the officer maneuvering it remotely to see and hear what is happening.
However, fears of unwanted surveillance and questions about the department's use of public dollars remain a question. The mobile robot is sold at a starting price of $74,000.
And in case the robot canine goes rogue, something out of your Black Mirror nightmares, here¡¯s a handy explanation that shows how to kill it.?
Last week, Boston Dynamics¡¯ Spot robot dog appeared alongside trainee soldiers during drills carried out by the French Army in a two-day exercise that was described as raising awareness about the challenges of tomorrow, like robotization of the battlefield.
And in a separate reality, a popular YouTuber taught this quadruped robot to ¡°piss beer¡± on command. Yep! Now I don¡¯t want to go any further than this, so you better check it out yourself. Wouldn¡¯t recommend turning Spot into your drinking buddy, though.?