The robot dog will be part of New York Police’s latest upgrade.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) introduced a robot police dog that will be at the forefront of fighting crime. The ‘digidog’, known as Spot, is a remote-controlled robot made by Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics. The NYPD revealed the dog model at a press conference where Mayor Eric Adams was also present. According to CBS News, the police dog can help human beings in times of crisis, patrol subways and dangerous areas and monitor construction sites. It has also been designed to communicate with people.

.@NYCMayor & @NYPDPC announce 3 new pieces of tech the NYPD will test & utilize to increase officer & resident safety:

-StarChase
-K5 Autonomous Security Robot (ASR)
-“Spot” the Digidog

This tech will be on display for 3 days in Times Square for NYers to see & ask questions. pic.twitter.com/SdNNY9i5te

— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 11, 2023

“Hello, Mayor Adams, we are here to get stuff done,” one of the robot dogs displayed at Times Square said, according to the outlet.

The Mayor’s office also tweeted a photo of the dog along with other latest technologies being deployed along with New York’s men and women in blue.

Among them is the StarChase system that avoids dangerous car chases by attaching a GPS tag, either by mounted or hand-held launchers.

There was also the K5 ASR pilot, which the Mayor’s office said will help conduct automated patrol in confined areas.

“We want the public to know that the use of these technologies will be transparent, consistent, and always done in collaboration with the people that we serve,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell was quoted as saying by CBS News.

The Future of Public Safety is NOW:

🐕Digidog is a RC K-9 robot for use in assessing hazardous situations
🚙StarChase pilot will test a projectile that attaches a GPS-enabled device to stolen or ghost vehicles
🚨K5 ASR pilot will help conduct automated patrol in confined areas pic.twitter.com/4Qp05ph81o

— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) April 11, 2023

The Verge said that this is not the first time that NYPD experimented with technology. In fact, in 2020, it used the ‘digidog’ for reconnaissance during a situation that had a gunman barricaded inside of a building.

It was against used in 2021 during a home invasion to get a glimpse of what was going on inside.

But NYPD had to cancel its contract with Boston Dynamics after critics spoke out against the use of ‘digidog’ over concerns about surveillance and the weaponisation of the police.