Canines have been an integral a part of the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) for years now, sniffing out explosive gadgets and different threats. Now they’re getting some cybernetic backup.
The DHS has developed a four-legged robotic, which it plans to make use of in future raids. The company revealed the brand new robo-agent at a speech on the 2024 Border Safety Expo in Texas.
Known as NEO, the robotic canine has a modified antenna array that brokers will use to overload the house networks of suspects, which is able to disable gadgets that depend on Wi-Fi to function, corresponding to safety cameras and voice-activated digital assistants (which may set off different automated features).
The bionic pooches can even act as one other set of eyes and ears for brokers, including one other layer of security.
“NEO can enter a potentially dangerous environment to provide video and audio feedback to the officers before entry and allow them to communicate with those in that environment,” mentioned DHS Federal Regulation Enforcement Coaching Facilities (FLETC) director Benjamine Huffman. “NEO carries an onboard computer and antenna array that will allow officers the ability to create a ‘denial-of-service’ event to disable ‘Internet of Things’ devices that could potentially cause harm while entry is made.”
The concept of a signal-jamming robotic canine was reportedly first thought of after a 2021 incident the place a suspected baby sexual abuser noticed, by way of his doorbell digital camera, FBI brokers making ready to enter his residence and commenced capturing, killing two brokers and injuring three extra.
DHS is just not the one legislation enforcement company utilizing robotic canine. The Massachusetts State Police are crediting a robotic canine for saving lives when it approached a home the place a person was barricaded inside with weapons. (One robotic canine was shot, however no officers had been injured.)
“The incident provided a stark example of the benefits of mobile platforms capable of opening doors and ascending stairs in tactical missions involving armed suspects,” state police mentioned in a press release. “In addition to providing critically important room clearance and situational awareness capabilities, the insertion of Roscoe into the suspect residence prevented the need, at that stage of response, from inserting human operators, and may have prevented a police officer from being involved in an exchange of gunfire.”
Different legislation enforcement officers have had less-positive encounters. In 2021, the NYPD opted to kennel its robotic K9 items after a backlash from the neighborhood about privateness and overly aggressive shows of power.
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