These robots are joining the New York Police Department

THE New York Police Department is equipping itself with new technology designed to assist its officers with very specific missions. As a result, robot dogs will soon be stepping onto the city streets, as well as new devices tasked with monitoring certain enclosed spaces.

After a first aborted experiment in 2021, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has decided to reinstate Digidog, a variant of the famous four-legged robot Spot developed by Boston Dynamics.

According to the authorities, Digidog will be used primarily for dangerous missions that could endanger NYPD officers. This could be the case, for example, with bomb threats or hostage situations.

The idea is to be able to defuse a difficult situation by having the robot enter the premises first, in order to study the environment and the situation in hand to allow officers to make the right intervention decisions.

Still, NYPD's reintroduction of these robot dogs raises certain concerns about privacy, as Digidog is equipped with cameras. However, there is no question of arming it for the moment. Two robots have currently been ordered.

In addition to Digidog, the NYPD will be piloting two additional technologies. The first takes the form of another robot, the K5 ASR from Knightscope, a fully autonomous surveillance robot designed to patrol enclosed spaces like parks, campuses, businesses or subway stations.

As with a robot vacuum cleaner, it's possible to define a route that the robot can easily follow thanks to its integrated cameras and sensors. It can then "patrol" that predefined area. It will be able to return to its recharging station if needed and then continue with its mission once its batteries are full again.

Finally, a new device will make it possible to remotely track vehicles, especially in car chases. The Guardian HX from StarChase is a portable launcher capable of firing GPS tracking tags onto any vehicle, even if moving, ensuring officers don't lose track of suspects.

Note that it is the mayor of the city, Eric Adams, who made these announcements, inviting residents to come and discover these new technologies when they go on temporary display in Times Square.