Massachusetts State Police claim a member of its bomb squad went above and beyond the call of duty and took a bullet for the team. However, this officer is not a human or even a dog, but “Rosco”, a police-specific robot dog manufactured by Boston Dynamics.
in a Wednesday Facebook postMassachusetts State Police said Roscoe, whose nickname Boston Dynamics’ Spot robotIn early March, he accompanied the department’s bomb squad to a situation involving an armed suspect. Roscoe was taken to a house in Barnstable on Cape Cod with two men. PackBot 510soften used in bomb disposal and reconnaissance to help police locate suspects.
Roscoe, operated by a human soldier via remote control, was first sent to clear the top two floors of the house. The robot dog allegedly got into trouble when it went downstairs to check the basement, where it encountered a suspect armed with a rifle. Police said the suspect knocked the robot over and then began climbing the stairs. He apparently didn’t realize the Boston Dynamics robot could get up on its own and began following him up the stairs.
“When the suspect realized with apparent surprise that Roscoe was behind him on the stairs, he knocked the robot down again and raised his rifle in Roscoe’s direction. The robot suddenly lost communications,” Massachusetts State Police said. “Officers later discovered that Roscoe had been shot three times by the suspect and was inoperable.”
Roscoe wasn’t the only robot to get shot. The suspect also tried to shoot one of the PackBot 510s, but missed, the department said. Authorities then fired tear gas into the cordoned-off subject’s house, and the subject surrendered shortly after.
Roscoe’s performance during the incident so impressed his human colleagues that they announced the event on Facebook with the following headline: “Robot dog ‘Roscoe’ defends his role in Barnstable incident Human law enforcement partners take bullets.”
Despite high praise from the Massachusetts State Police, police department’s use of Boston Dynamics Spot Not without controversy. The NYPD has come under criticism from advocacy groups and the public in recent years for its use of Spot, with some saying the department could use the robot to spy on citizens, especially people of color.Others say that it represents “The militarization of the police.”
“[R]Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in a statement that robotic surveillance drones are being deployed to target low-income communities of color where schools are under-resourced. test. Published on X in February 2021. “Ask yourself: When was the last time you saw the next generation of world-class technology in education, healthcare, housing, etc. consistently prioritized for such underserved communities?”
The New York City Police Department terminated its lease contract with Boston Dynamics in April 2021 due to public opposition. However, New York City Mayor Eric Adams reversed that decision in 2023, saying that using Spot in the city would “save lives.” According to The Verge.
“I believe the technology is here; we can’t be afraid of it,” Adams said, according to The Verge. “Some people who were loudly against it objected and we took a step back – that’s not my way of doing things. I’m committed to finding what’s best for the city. “
Police took the fallen Roscoe to Boston Dynamics and asked the manufacturer to help remove the three bullets from the robot and assess the damage. The manufacturer retained the Roscoe for research and provided replacement units to the Massachusetts State Police.