The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, and the City Police Department (NYPD) presented this Tuesday various robots that will help agents keep the Big Apple safeincluding Digidog, a police dog robot that was removed by the previous mayor due to criticism.
“Today, we are announcing three new police technologies in New York City: the K5 autonomous security robot, the Digidog robot and the StarChase GPS accessory,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced at a news conference in Times Square. .
The city has bought two Digidogs with various accessories, such as a gas detector, for $750,000 (688,131 euros) and will rent the other two technologies for a pilot test that will begin this summer for $1,750 per month.
“I look for the best for the city. And the three (tools) that we are launching today are just the beginning,” the mayor and former police officer, who declared himself a great fan of technology, told the media.
The K5 robot is equipped with various cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence, which allows it to provide real-time information to agents.
This technology has been used in various areas of the US and has helped, among other things, with shootings in shopping centers.
After six months of testing, the robot will patrol both Times Square and its subway stations, according to the NYPD.
The StarChase system works by attaching a GPS suction cup – either manually or by launching it from a vehicle – to a fleeing vehicle and the tool allows the vehicle to be tracked in real time.
This technology will allow NYPD officers to remotely track a vehicle, thus preventing a vehicle chase through the streets of New York.
The Digidogs -as they already passed the pilot test at the time- will be incorporated directly into the NYPD.
This yellow robot made by Boston Dynamics was so criticized by various civil rights advocates that the previous administration – headed by Bill de Blasio – stopped using it and it was turned over to the fire department.
Adams said that if a person has a loved one who is kidnapped, they will appreciate that this machine, which walks on all fours and has a claw with a camera where a dog’s head would normally be, is among the patrol.
NYPD noted that none of these tools have facial recognition. EFE
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