A divided Los Angeles City Council approved the donation of a “robot dog” for the police department on Tuesday, May 23, over the objections of activists who claimed the controversial technology would be used for illegal surveillance — particularly of people of color.
In an 8-4 vote, the council accepted the donation to the police department of a $278,000 “quadruped unmanned ground vehicle,” colloquially known as a robot dog, from the non-profit Los Angeles Police Foundation.
Councilmembers Heather Hutt, Curren Price, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez cast dissenting votes. Two other councilmembers, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Eunisses Hernandez, were absent. Hernandez expressed concerns over the use of robot dogs at a previous meeting.
Proponents of robot dogs, that somewhat resemble a four-legged dog and can be used on different terrains, say the technology will save lives by sending a robot into dangerous scenarios such as barricades or standoffs, or in situations that might involve explosives.
Opponents of robot dogs are concerned that law enforcement will use the technology for inappropriate surveillance purposes, and to harass the public.
Critics have voiced skepticism about how the technology will be used despite repeated assurances from LAPD representatives that the robot would be used only in SWAT incidents, situations involving hazardous-materials or search-and-rescue operations.
LAPD officials previously said the robot would not be equipped with weapons or facial-recognition technology, nor would it be used for patrol operations.
Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and government relations with Boston Dynamics, which manufactures “Spot,” the robot dog that the L.A. City Council approved, told the council on Tuesday that the company’s goal is that the technology will help people.
“There’s no mysterious end-game here. We set out 30 years ago to make robots that would help humanity,” Schulman said, as some members…
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