Yahoo Autos Robotic dog gets laid off from New York City's police force
New York City's police department has prematurely ended its relationship with Digidog, a robotic dog built by Boston Dynamics and tested as part of a pilot program. While some praised the robot for its ability to venture into dangerous situations, others claimed it sent the wrong message to New York residents at precisely the wrong time.
City officials had high hopes for the robot, and they sent it marching into hazardous situations on several occasions. It was used in barricade and hostage situations, according to The New York Times, and it once delivered food to hostages during a home invasion in Queens. Sending officers instead of the robot could have put lives in danger.
Not everyone welcomed its presence, however. Critics have argued it sends the wrong message to the communities it's used in. "At a time where we should be having more beat cops on the street, building relationships with residents, they're actually headed in another direction in trying to replace them with robots," said Ben Kallos, a Democrat who represents the Upper East Side in the city council, in an interview with the Times.
Others agreed. The NYPD has used robotic devices, in such duties as bomb squad work, for decades, but something about the anthropomorphic quality of Digidog rubbed people the wrong way. Some compared it to the terrifying robotic dogs in the "Metalhead" episode of the "Black Mirror" TV anthology:
