The police of North Rhine-Westphalia has a new employee: the robot dog Spot is currently being tested and could make the work of the police easier, so it is hoped. In the USA, the dog-like robot was withdrawn from circulation after criticism.
NRW police buy robot dog from Boston Dynamics
In the new “Innovation Lab” of the North Rhine-Westphalian police force, the Robot dog Spot from the manufacturer Boston Dynamics been presented. Equipped with the police logo and corresponding colors, the four-legged robot caused a stir and criticism on social networks. According to NRW Interior Minister Reul, it should be tested “in which areas the robot could be of use to us in the future”. Concrete plans were not mentioned and a mounted sniper rifle cannot be found either.
If and when spot will be on the street, remains unknown. The announcement on Twitter also states that “nobody” would say that Spot was “acutely needed” for everyday police work. The aim of the “Innovation Lab” in Duisburg is to find out how the digitization of the police force can be advanced (source: Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia). The cost of the spot was not commented on. Manufacturer Boston Dynamics does not list any prices on its website.
More about Spot in the manufacturer’s official video:
The robot dog is less mobile than the robot dog with a camera, WiFi and remote control new “HiPoS-Cube” of the police. The rectangular cube has “a complete IT infrastructure”. Police officers can connect to the Cube via their mobile phone and thus access its technology.
Robot dog spot: New York police cancel project
The New York police had already acquired Spot the robot dog in February 2021 and even went on patrol with him. After massive criticism and an illustrated guide, how Spot can be put out of action quickly, the project was stopped again less than two months.