Spot the Robot Dog Saanvi Kunisetty

 Spot the Robot Dog

Saanvi Kunisetty

Recently, a company called Boston Dynamics built a robot dog which they named Spot. Spot was sent to the New York police department so that its efficiency, advantage, and benefits could be tested and validated. The dog was mainly built to work and function in dangerous workplaces such as oil fields, construction sites, and mines. It was designed with specific advantages that could assist it in doing this. For one, it walks relatively easily over uneven terrain, can fit into spaces and gaps where humans can’t, and can explore conditions which may hurt a human, such as a gas leak. Aside from this, though, it has recently been used in many other helpful ways. Some health care workers sent Spot to talk to patients with COVID, so that they wouldn’t risk getting COVID themselves. In addition, Singapore recently used a version of Spot to encourage social distancing in public areas. The New York Police Department put a version of Spot into use starting last December, with the name of Digidog. Digidog was spotted by many walking around the sidewalks, and served as a camera, and could be controlled from certain distances by the police. Though the department felt that Digidog proved to be useful, many concerns came with it. For starters, people worried about the future of the robot dog. What if it developed in a way to be able to control its own movements, and use weapons and arms uncontrollably? The public felt that it was also a bit creepy, and felt like it was invading their privacy. Due to the wide public disapproval, the New York police department finally returned the dog that they were testing.

Resources:

https://newsforkids.net/articles/2021/05/04/new-york-police-get-rid-of-robot-dog/