“DO NOT PET.”
Pet Sounds
The US Secret Service has deployed a Boston Dynamics Spot robot dog to patrol president-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
While the quadruped isn’t armed, as the BBC reports, its legs are emblazoned with an ominous message to passersby: “DO NOT PET.”
The robot’s deployment shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given the not just one but two assassination attempts on Trump’s life earlier this year.
“Safeguarding the president-elect is a top priority,” Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi told the BBC.
Patrol 2
As for what exactly the remotely-controlled robot dog is doing, apart from patrolling the lawns in front of Trump’s gaudy residence, the Secret Service remained unsurprisingly mum.
“While we cannot get into the specific capabilities, the robotic dogs are equipped with surveillance technology, and an array of advanced sensors that support our protective operations,” a spokesperson told the New York Post.
Experts argued they could help give existing security agents more oversight.
“They can cover a lot more area” than human staff, former Secret Service agent Ron Williams told the BBC.
Apart from guarding the new president of the United States, Boston Dynamics’ robot dog has also been deployed by police departments, on factory floors and construction sites, and at fire departments.
The military in particular has become interested in similar offerings from defense contractors. Last month, for instance, Military.com reported that the US Army is experimenting with rifle-equipped robot dogs at a Middle Eastern testing facility.
But the Spot robot dog strolling outside of Trump’s residence will likely be far more defenseless.
“You just have to spray it with Aqua Net hairspray in its ‘face,'” George Mason University engineering professor Missy Cummings told the BBC.
More on robot dogs: The US Army Is Testing Killer Robot Dogs With AI-Powered Rifles in the Middle East
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