The New York Police Department is adding robots to its force.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Mayor Eric Adams announced the addition of the high-tech crime fighters in Times Square on Tuesday morning.
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The controversial four-legged “Digidog” and the lumbering K5 Autonomous Security Robot will be joining the NYPD. The Digidog first launched in 2021, but it was canceled due to public blowback.
The models will be on display for three days in Times Square for the public to ask questions, according to Adams’s press secretary.
.@NYCMayor & @NYPDPC announce 3 new pieces of tech the NYPD will test & utilize to increase officer & resident safety:
-StarChase
-K5 Autonomous Security Robot (ASR)
-“Spot” the DigidogThis tech will be on display for 3 days in Times Square for NYers to see & ask questions. pic.twitter.com/SdNNY9i5te
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 11, 2023
“We cannot be afraid of [the technology],” Adams said, according to the New York Post. “If we were not willing to move forward and use technology to properly keep cities safe, then we will not keep up with those who are doing harmful things to hurt New York.”
“A few loud people were opposed to [them previously], and we just took a step back,” Adams said, referring to the previous backlash against robots in the police force.
Adams stressed that the robots will not have any weapons.
Sewell echoed the mayor’s statements, stressing the need for police to adopt new technology to keep the city safe.
“To safeguard our modern city and a forward-looking world, it is essential that our officers are equipped with the tools, training, and technology necessary to do that job safely and effectively,” Sewell said. “In the case of the NYPD, this has been true for nearly two centuries.
“We have maximized public and officer safety through emerging technology, and that approach continues today,” Sewell continued. “But we know that technology is just a tool, and it is only as effective as the person or people using it.”
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The two models are designed to excel at different tasks. The smaller and more mobile Digidogs are “ideal for hostage negotiations, barricaded individuals, hazardous chemical/radiation zones, and other dangerous incidents.”
The 5-foot egg-shaped K5 Autonomous Security Robot is intended to patrol designated areas. It is equipped with a dozen microphones and a 360-degree camera to monitor and alert authorities of people in restricted areas.
