Robot Police Dog Sacrifices Itself to Save Officers
Hereās a unique āfirstā for the history books: In March 2023, a four-legged robotic ādogā walked into the line of fire and took three bullets. Its name was Roscoe. And Roscoeās actions likely saved human police officers.
Boston Dynamics is one of the worldās leading robotics companies. So itās not shocking that the Massachusetts State Police are testing out some of the very first law enforcement robots. The state policeās bomb squad in particular has already pressed multiple remote-control robots into service.
One of the most advanced models is a four-legged robot capable of climbing up and down stairs. It has a fourth limb, a long robotic arm it can use to open doors or even dismantle some bombs. Finally, it has cameras so remote operators can see whatās going on. The bomb squad named this robotic ādogā Roscoe.
On March 6th, the bomb squad responded to a standoff at a house in Cape Cod. The SWAT team had been in a standoff with an armed suspect. They wanted to take him in to custody, but didnāt know where in the house he was hiding. So the officers decided it was a job for remote-controlled Roscoe.
Roscoe entered the house and searched the main floor. He found no signs of any occupants. Next, he climbed the stairs and searched the second floor. Still nothing. So next Roscoeās operators searched for an entrance to a basement. When they found one, they sent the dog downstairs. He was attacked immediately.
The suspect kicked Roscoe over. Little did he know, Boston Dynamicsā robots can right themselves. When Roscoe got back up, the suspect shot him three times. This disabled the robotās communication. The suspect continued to shoot wildly, hitting another bomb squad robot and an outdoor pool.
The SWAT officers didnāt leave Roscoe behind. Once they knew where the suspect was they were able to deploy teargas to stun him and rush the house to arrest him.
Boston Dynamics says it is taking Roscoe back to study how well he stood up to the gunfire. But they will give the Massachusetts State Police a replacement robot.
āThe incident provided a stark example of the benefits of mobile platforms capable of opening doors and ascending stairs in tactical missions involving armed suspectsā¦In addition to providing critically important room clearance and situational awareness capabilities, the insertion of Roscoe into the suspect residence prevented the need, at that stage of response, from inserting human operators, and may have prevented a police officer from being involved in an exchange of gunfire.ā
Massachusetts State Police
Next, learn about why the NYPD fired its subway-patrolling robot, or see Boston Dynamicsā robot in action in the video below: