The New York Police Department has a new police dog on the force and it’s not a K-9, it’s a robotic dog that has some cool features. You’re about to learn all about it now.
“This dog is going to save lives, protect people, and protect officers and that’s our goal,” NYPD Technical Assistance Response UnitInspector (TARU) Frank Digiacomo told ABC.
The robot has been given the nickname Digidog and it weighs about 70 pounds. It has the ability to run up to three and a half miles per hour and can even climb stairs and over small obstacles with ease.
“This robot is able to use its artificial intelligence to navigate things, very complex environments,” NYPD TARU’s Deepu John added.
John went on to say that the dog has multiple cameras and lights on it so that it can go into a completely dark place and still see in real-time what’s going on around it. He says it’s very easy to operate and is like playing a video game.
It’s already been successfully used. Back in October, it was used in a hostage situation in Brooklyn when two armed robbers took five people hostage.
“People wanted food so we strapped food onto it and sent it into the location,” Frank said. He added that it’s coming out with more abilities soon. “In January an arm is coming out so it will be open doors and move objects.”
It even has two-way communication so suspects and officers can communicate if they need to. For now, Digidog is the only robot dog on the force but they are hoping more of them will be given to the department.