FDNY has purchased two robot dogs that it will deploy in dangerous conditions to assist with search and rescue situations.
The experiment with the robots follows the police department’s aborted attempt to use the robot dogs to assist its department. In that case, backlash against the use of robots in policing situations prompted the city to cancel its deployment of the dogs.
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Now the fire department is stepping up, hoping that the privacy concerns raised by having the robots on patrol will not be an issue in their planned use of the dogs in search scenarios that are too dangerous for firefighters.
The dogs can be fitted with a variety of sensors and cameras to let firefighters know what they witness without risking a human or animal life in a dangerous situation.
The dogs, called ‘Spot,’ are produced by Boston Dynamics and cost about $75,000 each.
