The first time I saw this story it made me think of the 2018 movie, A.X.L. The movie is about the military creating a top-secret robotic dog with advanced AI technology until something goes wrong.
Beyond Patrol: Arkansas Police Get High-Tech, Four-Legged Teammate
Well, the future is here for a one-of-a-kind four-legged technically advanced robotic dog named “Buford” who will be working for the Arkansas State Police soon. According to a report from KARK-TV, Boston Dynamics is behind creating the newest member of the bomb squad and SWAT mission team. Buford was named after a former squad commander and retired Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agent Bill Buford.
The Boston Dynamics robotic dog looks like something you would see in a futuristic science fiction movie and will be used in dangerous missions where otherwise a human would put their lives and others at risk in the case of a bomb or another life-threatening situation.
Buford Trained Using AI Technology
Arkansas State officials say artificial intelligence technology will be used to train the robot dog to do things like open doors and capture surveillance of the situation using thermal vision and high-tech cameras for recording video before deploying state troopers into a potentially dangerous situation.
Buford or should I say, “Robo-Dog” is controlled by an officer and gets around by using its four robotic legs. The state police bomb squad is required to do 16 hours of extensive high-level training with the company Boston Dynamics before Buford can be released for duty in the field.
How Much Did Buford Cost?
The robotic dog cost $282,000 and was paid for by Federal grant money. There’s no telling how long the dog will last because maintenance and software updates will be needed during its lifetime. Buford can run up to 90 minutes on its battery before having to replace it for a new one.
The robotic dog has already become popular with kids at school events throughout Central Arkansas. The future is here as more robotic dogs will become the new normal for many law enforcement agencies. The question is, Can we keep them from turning on their human counterparts and going rogue?…