US border control agents are starting to work side-by-side with robot dogs.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security revealed it’s been supplying US Customs and Border Protection with quadruped robots at the southern border. The goal is to use the dog-like bots to help US personnel cover more ground out on the field.
However, the news is setting off alarms because the robots come from Ghost Robotics, a company in Philadelphia that’s been working to deploy the same robots for military purposes. Recently, one of the company’s robot dogs was even outfitted with a sniper rifle at a convention.
DHS described the 100-pound bots as “Automated Ground Surveillance Vehicles.” The aim is to use them as “force multipliers” to increase US Customs and Border Protection’s presence. The same machines can also cover rough terrain that would be dangerous for a human.
“The southern border can be an inhospitable place for man and beast, and that is exactly why a machine may excel there,” said DHS Science and Technology Directorate program manager Brenda Long.
DHS has been working with Ghost Robotics on the project for 2.5 years. The resulting robot dogs can be controlled over a laptop or a handheld remote. In addition, they can be outfitted with sensors and video cameras, which can beam back data to human operators.
Field tests also showed the robot dogs can operate in a variety of harsh conditions. “To ensure that the AGSVs could deliver as promised, they were tested by walking up hills, down ravines, and over rocks, all while carrying 20 pounds worth of payload,” DHS said.
No mention was made of the robot dogs carrying weapons. However, DHS did note that they were tested for a “simulated sentry duty,” turning them into guard dogs that can patrol an area. Another test involved human personnel operating them to scout out and evade “potentially hostile individuals” in a residential building.
Those tests confirmed the machine’s real-world capabilities. “So, don’t be surprised if in the future we see robot ‘Fido’ out in the field, walking side-by-side with CBP personnel,” DHS said.
