Home Police/Fire/Military Robot dogs to join New York Fire Department’s ‘lifesaving’ mission

Robot dogs to join New York Fire Department’s ‘lifesaving’ mission

PHOTOS: See Spot run. See Spot fight fires?

The New York Fire Department announced that they will begin using robot dogs made by engineering company Boston Dynamics in the department’s search-and-rescue missions.

Each $75,000 robot dog, known as Spot, will be controlled by a human operator and will be able to collect images and data.

The mechanical K-9 unit will also be used to measure the concentration of dangerous gases, gauge structural integrity and descend deep underground after a fire or building collapse.

The FDNY has recruited two robot dogs that will be on the scene in the coming weeks, becoming the first fire department in the country to utilize the mechanical helpers.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us to get acclimated to the robot dogs,” a fire department spokesperson told The Post.

The FDNY began employing the use of ground robotics nearly 10 years ago, and created a separate robotics unit in 2020.

Original Article