Quadrupeds Archives - ROBOPHILOSOPHY

According to a report by 404 Media on 22 July 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has acquired and modified a dog-like robot called NEO. This robot, equipped with an antenna array, can overload home networks to disable Internet of Things (IoT) devices during law enforcement operations. Benjamine Huffman, director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), revealed the details at the 2024 Border Security Expo. NEO, a modified version of Ghost Robotics’ Vision 60 quadruped unmanned ground vehicle (Q-UGV), helps disable potentially dangerous smart home devices that could be used as booby traps. This development follows an incident in 2021 in which a suspect used a doorbell camera to spy on FBI agents and shot at them, killing two agents. The DHS has also created the ‘FLETC Smart House’ to train officers on how to deal with IoT devices that could be used against them. Robotic pets are becoming increasingly popular with homeland security agencies and police forces. Boston Dynamics’ Spot is used on patrols in New York City and Germany.

In his talk “Ethische Dimensionen von Robotik in der Pflege” (“Ethical dimensions of robotics in care”) at the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) on December 8, 2020, Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel made the case for robot parks where people can encounter real robots. “You can also set up specific parks with robots in the care sector. Mind-controlled wheelchairs, exoskeletons, high-tech prostheses, etc. could also have their place there.” (own translation) In the 2021 study “Roboter, Empathie und Emotionen” (“Robots, empathy, and emotions”), the technology philosopher takes this idea further for Switzerland: “In order to bring people closer to machines and enable a critical assessment, direct contact should be promoted, for example with the help of robot parks.” There is also a need for “relevant further training for (non-specialist) scientists, journalists and politicians, whereby robot parks could also be used here” (“Roboter, Empathie und Emotionen”, own translation). In 2024, dozens of four-legged and two-legged robots as well as numerous other social robots and service robots will be available. Even advanced models will be affordable from 1000 to 2000 dollars. The time is ripe for robot parks, whether in Switzerland or Germany or anywhere else in Europe (Image: DALL-E 3).