Communications of the ACM
Digidog, a Robotic Dog Used by the Police, Stirs Privacy Concerns
The New York Police Department is using a 70-pound robotic dog with cameras and lights affixed to its frame and a two-way communication system to remotely assess dangerous situations.
Credit: ERPR Group
Two men were being held hostage in a Bronx apartment. They had been threatened at gunpoint, tied up and tortured for hours by two other men who pretended to be plumbers to get inside, the police said.
One of the victims managed to escape and called the police, who showed up early Tuesday morning at the apartment on East 227th Street, unsure if the armed men were still inside.
The police decided it was time to deploy Digidog, a 70-pound robotic dog with a loping gait, cameras and lights affixed to its frame, and a two-way communication system that allows the officer maneuvering it remotely to see and hear what is happening.
The police said the robot can see in the dark and assess how safe it is for officers to enter an apartment or building where there may be a threat.
From The New York Times
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