New York (EFE).- The Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, and the City Police Department (NYPD) presented various robots that will help agents keep the Big Apple safe, including Digidog, a police dog robot removed by 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 purchased two Digidogs with various accessories – including a gas detector – for $750,000 and will lease the other two technologies for a pilot test beginning this summer for $1,750 a 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 malls.
Robot patrol in New York
According to the NYPD, after six months of testing, the robot will patrol both Times Square and its subway stations.
The StarChase system works by attaching a GPS suction cup to a fleeing vehicle and the tool allows the vehicle to be tracked in real time.
This technology will allow NYPD officers to remotely follow a car, thus avoiding a vehicle chase through the streets of New York.
For their part, 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 pointed out that if a person has a loved one who is kidnapped, they will appreciate this machine.
It walks on all fours and has a claw with a chamber where a dog’s head would normally be, whether it’s on patrol.
NYPD noted that none of these tools have facial recognition.