New York’s robot police Digidog sent back to kennels

New Yorkers complained that the Digidog was spying on poor areas
New Yorkers complained that the Digidog was spying on poor areas

When a robotic dog joined the New York Police Department, senior officers had high hopes of its ability to climb flights of stairs and plod fearlessly into the line of fire.

Now, after less than a year on the force, the “Digidog” has been retired and returned to its makers in Boston after a chorus of complaints about “spy dogs” being deployed to surveil poorer neighbourhoods.

The robot was made by Boston Dynamics, which refers to it as Spot and advertises it as a sort of robotic scout, covered with cameras.

Melissa Hamilton, a former Florida police officer who is now a law professor at the University of Surrey, said its dog shape was intended to be reassuring. Spot’s appearance with the NYPD, however, fuelled