A hot potato: Spot, the robotic quadruped from Boston Dynamics, has been used in numerous professions over the years, but its most controversial application could be on the way. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to spend $2 million on the robot dogs, which could support officers by remotely assessing environments before they enter.
A new Department of Homeland Security procurement notice describes the possible purchase of Boston Dynamics SPOT robots and accessories valued at between $1 million and $2 million.
The document lists the robots' potential uses as inspection, situational awareness, and hazard assessment in environments that may pose risks to personnel.
It adds that these capabilities helps improve officer safety, supports informed operational decision-making, and enhances DHS's ability to respond to incidents involving dangerous, confined, unstable, or difficult-to-access areas.
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There's no mention of the robots being used to apprehend people or make arrests, which was later confirmed by a senior DHS official speaking to NBC News, though that's unlikely to make their use by ICE any less controversial.
This won't be the first time Spot has been used by a government agency. In 2019, the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad leased one of the robots for use as a "mobile remote observation device." It was sent to inspect suspicious objects and dangerous locations, taking part in at least two incidents.
The NYPD later deployed a heavily modified Spot known as Digidog. The robot was used for reconnaissance during a 2020 incident in which a gunman barricaded himself inside a basement, and again the following year to investigate a house during a reported home invasion before officers entered.
Digidog reportedly completed around six missions without harming civilians, but footage of the robot in action prompted a backlash over surveillance and the increasingly Black Mirror-like appearance of modern policing. The NYPD terminated its $94,000 lease in 2021, only to bring Digidog back two years later. The department acquired two of the robots for $750,000, saying they would only be deployed in life-threatening situations such as bomb threats.
Spot also has a history with the US military. An early version was tested by the Marines as a potential load-carrying and ground-reconnaissance platform. While it was much quieter than Boston Dynamics' gas-powered AlphaDog, Spot had to be monitored continuously and could carry only around 40 pounds of equipment. Those limitations meant the military ultimately shelved the project.
Boston Dynamics prohibits customers from using Spot to harm or intimidate people, warning that it will take "appropriate measures to mitigate that misuse." Even if it believes this doesn't apply to ICE, the company will have to decide whether up to $2 million in sales will be worth the bad publicity.
ICE seeks to purchase up to $2 million in Boston Dynamics Spot robots
