Video: Two Robot Dogs Named Spot and Roscoe Patrol Boston
We always joke that robots will one day rule the world, but for now, it's all about safety in dangerous situations and assisting with potential high-risk scenarios. Let's be honest, there's an intrigue, too.
Meet Spot and Roscoe, two robot dogs that local and state police departments as well as government agencies can lease out at a moment's notice if they want. Although I doubt we can tell them apart, these two are out and about patrolling Boston and the Commonwealth when necessary.
According to IOT World Today, Spot and Roscoe were at it again and helping out the Massachusetts State Police as well as Homeland Security, FBI, and the Boston Police Department for the massive 4th of July celebration along Boston's Esplanade and Charles River.
I think this living, breathing Labrador Retriever has a new friend.
The robotic dogs are used to monitor and identify potentially hazardous items such as bombs, and provide live video footage of suspicious situations and activity.
These dogs from Boston Dynamics can slip in and out of various buildings and terrain, crawl, climb, and monitor high-risk incidents before humans enter potentially deadly scenarios.
Spot and Roscoe were out roaming and "sniffing" if you will, recording and snapping pictures, and sending videos and photos to the various departments. These robotic dogs, which have a lifelike aspect to their movements as you'll see in the videos below, are constantly looking for suspicious packages and other potentially dangerous situations according to WBZ.
The videos I posted below are so cool to watch, albeit a bit freaky, but I'm warming up to these crime-fighting robotic dogs and even finding them kind of cute now.
This isn't the first time that Spot, Roscoe, or others have super-served cities around the country. According to Scientific American, the New York City Police Department leased a robotic dog from Boston Dynamics and used it for a hostage situation, among other incidents. Backlash about privacy issues, cost, and even creepiness halted the leasing for now.
Overall, Spot and his friends are extremely resourceful even if they're only used for certain situations instead of on a daily basis, according to Boston Dynamics.
Spot has been particularly resourceful in tackling dull, dirty and dangerous tasks. Public safety initiatives, including police departments, often face dangerous work, such as inspecting a bomb, rummaging through remnants of an explosion or fire, or even deescalating a potentially dangerous situation.
Here's that video I promised you from Boston's 4th of July weekend.