New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered a controversial robotic dog undergoing trials with the city’s police off the street, and a $94,200 contract with creator Boston Dynamics cancelled. The robot canine, named “Digidog”, is to be returned to its manufacturer following outrage tied to calls to cut police funding and law enforcement access to military-developed or surplus hardware. It was primarily intended to go into situations deemed dangerous for officers, and had been undergoing trials in the Bronx since it was unveiled last December. “This dog is going to save lives, protect people, and protect officers, and that’s our goal,” a police spokesman said at the time. Some critics also pointed out it was reminiscent of robot dogs in the dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror.

Source: The Guardian April 30, 2021 14:37 UTC