The police institution seems to have a breath of fresh air with the development of the robotic police dog. The reason is that this can be a great strategy that can help them carry out raids on places where someone suspected of committing a crime is hiding.
Sadly, a robotic dog, called “Roscoe,” that had helped Massachusetts police arrest someone barricaded in a house had to undergo a damage assessment due to multiple shots on its body. So, what does the robotic dog look like? And how can the robot help the police prevent unwanted incidents?
Okay, here’s everything you can know about Roscoe, the robotic dog!
What is Roscoe?
Roscoe is the name of a robotic dog that was part of the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad. The robot was launched by Boston Dynamics in 2020 and is known as the “SPOT” robot, a four-legged robot capable of mobility in various terrains.
Boston launched SPOT, which aims to make work easier and more effective with the use of robots that are safe, ethical, and innovative.
Boston Dynamics uses athletic intelligence with 360° perception, so they can solve difficult robotics challenges, enabling more robust operations for those robot dogs. For teleoperation and some autonomous functions, SPOT requires an active network connection.
Functioning as a dynamic sensing platform, SPOT actually provides valuable insights into routine operations, site health, and even potentially dangerous situations. How SPOT works can be predicted, so it operates more safely.
This kind of robot can also make data-driven decisions, monitor, and operate their sites. The advantage is that this robot dog can be operated either manually with remote control or automatically using its perception and guidance system to follow a predetermined route.
In order to customize SPOT for specific applications such as site inspection, thermal sensing, and more, this robot can be equipped with various sensors and other payloads.
Specifications for Roscoe
SPOT has four main components, including the body, which houses the camera and computer, as well as the four legs. There are multiple sensors and three motors in each SPOT leg that can maintain balance, achieve posture, and also navigate indoor and outdoor environments.
Here’s the SPOT’s anatomy!
To keep your data and access safe, SPOT uses a variety of security measures, including modern web security practices, military-grade data encryption, digitally signed software updates, and third-party security audits.
Regarding power, SPOT can be operated with a removable and rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. The battery can be charged directly using the Spot Power Supply or when installed in the Spot using the Spot Dock or Spot Power Supply.
Although designed to operate in a variety of environments and terrains, this does not mean that SPOT can be used in all terrains or in all environmental conditions.
To automatically avoid collisions with obstacles, SPOT uses its perception system, consisting of five pairs of stereo depth cameras: one at the back, two at the front, and one on each side of SPOT.
When operating, SPOT can perform various behaviors automatically, such as rolling to expose the battery and even traversing an entire facility while collecting data at hundreds of locations.
What Happened to Roscoe?
SPOT is not only limited to its use in industry, but this robot also plays an important role in assisting law enforcement in arresting suspects. Like in the case below!
Roscoe, a SPOT robot dog, was first deployed in Massachusetts on March 6 at a Barnstable home after a police officer was shot by a suspect. Along with Roscoe, the state police sent two other robots to search for suspects, and both were often used to defuse bombs in homes.
The police operated Roscoe remotely by first checking the two main floors. Then, walking into the basement and finally finding someone. Because the person was armed with a rifle, he managed to knock Roscoe down twice and shoot him three times, resulting in his communication being cut off.
After immobilizing Roscoe, the person then shoots one of the other robots and the outdoor swimming pool. However, he was finally arrested after the police deployed tear gas.
The Massachusetts police stated that it was a clear example of the benefits of robot technology where the robot could really open doors and climb stairs, so this was very helpful in tactical missions involving armed suspects. Most importantly, this can prevent officers or police dogs from being shot.
Apart from that, placing Roscoe below the suspect’s house was the initial stage for spying before putting the actual officers into the house, so this could prevent the officers from getting involved in a shootout.
Despite being shot twice and suffering damage, Boston Dynamics was relieved that SPOT was the only victim in this incident.
Finally, Roscoe, which had suffered damage, was sent to Boston Dynamics to have the bullet removed and also undergo an assessment regarding the extent of the damage. The damaged Roscoe will become company property, and a new unit will be sent to the Massachusetts state police as a replacement.
About Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics is the leading company in developing and implementing robots with high mobility, so they can overcome today’s toughest industrial challenges. They equip their robots with advanced mobility, intelligence, and dexterity, so these can allow the robot to automatically enter unstructured or hard-to-traverse spaces.
Founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston Dynamics has developed several series of mobile dynamic robots, including:
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- BigDog
- Cheetah
- LittleDog
- PETMAN
- LS3
- Atlas
- SPOT
- Atlas
- Handle
- Stretch
- Pick
- Factory Safety Service Robot
And SPOT has been commercially available since 2019, first to early adopters and later to other industrial customers.
Historically, Boston Dynamics was first founded by Marc Raibert in 1992 by spinning off the company from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That said, the company was an outgrowth of Raibert’s research lab at MIT, the Leg Laboratory, and Carnegie Mellon University.
It is known that Boston Dynamics has been acquired several times by several companies, including Google X, Japan’s SoftBank Group, and the latest, i.e., Hyundai Motor Group, which officially acquired the company in June 2021.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
