Tag: Robot Dog

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The Robodog Project Starts

Robotic four-legged friends – often referred to as robot dogs – are becoming more and more widespread. As a result, they will also encounter more and more real dogs. The question is how to design, control, and program the robot in such a way that the animals do not overreact and cause no harm to robots, animals, or bystanders. As part of “The Robodog Project”, smaller dogs are to be confronted with a walking, running, and jumping Unitree Go2. The plan is to visit controllable environments such as dog training grounds and arrange meetings with dog owners. The findings will lead to suggestions for design and control. Robot enhancement can also play a role here. For example, hobbyists have produced heads for Unitree Go2 using a 3D printer, giving the robot a completely different look. Suggestions for programming will also be made. The project is due to start at the FHNW School of Business in March 2024. It is part of Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel’s research in the field of animal-machine interaction.

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Trump is Guarded by Spot

Spot from Boston Dynamics is the latest tool in the arsenal of the US Secret Service. This was reported by the BBC on November 17, 2024. The robot was recently spotted patrolling the perimeter of President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. As the video on the website shows, they do not carry weapons; “and each can be controlled remotely or automatically – as long as its route is pre-programmed”. Passers-by are warned by a sign on each of Spot’s legs that reads, “DO NOT PET”. “I don’t know that anyone would be tempted to pet these robot dogs. They do not look cuddly,” Melissa Michelson, a political scientist at Menlo College, told the BBC. Oliver Bendel, an expert in social robotics at the FHNW School of Business, disagrees. He has been working with Unitree Go2, which is half the weight and smaller than SPOT but otherwise comparable, since 2023. “The students are initially amazed or shocked when they see it. After a minute or two, their doubts are dispelled and they try to lure it in and stroke it.” A robot like Spot is well suited to an estate like Mar-a-Lago. However, models such as K5 from Knightscope or RBwatcher from Robotnik/URG can also be used on the lawns.

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Robot Dog Neo Interferes With IoT Devices

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.