Houston Chronicle by Benjamin Wermund 2/7/2022
Robot ‘dogs’ may soon be patrolling the southern border, as the Department of Homeland Security has been testing the “four-legged ground drones” it aims to send out alongside border patrol agents.
The agency says the project will help boost U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s presence along the border while reducing human exposure to life-threatening hazards and harsh terrain. The 100-pound robots have been successfully tested in El Paso and Virginia, the agency says.
“The southern border can be an inhospitable place for man and beast, and that is exactly why a machine may excel there,” said Brenda Long, program manager at DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate, which is overseeing the project with Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics.
It hints at some defensive capabilities, as well, saying tests included situations where the robots were “met by potentially hostile individuals.”
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/Homeland-Security-testing-of-robot-dogs-on-16839299.php
