New York City’s police force is getting an upgrade with robotics. Mayor Eric Adams has announced that the NYPD will be acquiring semi-autonomous robotic canines in the coming weeks to add to the department’s arsenal in particular areas where the risk to human safety is high. The two robots – Spot, from Boston Dynamics, and the K5 robot from Knightscope – have both gained widespread criticism from the public due to the perception of a dystopian police state, though the new Spot bots will be integrated in controlled environments rather than patrolling by themselves.
Spot is designed to traverse and map its environment with the help of its cameras and sensors, whereas the K5 is a human-sized, ovoid robot built to surveil its surroundings with assistance from its cameras, sensors, and speakers. In the past, K5 robots have been deployed in test cases around Silicon Valley, where they have drawn mixed reactions – some suspicion and mockery, as well as occasional physical abuse.
In addition to the robots, Google Maps has recently enhanced its coverage of USA’s national parks, offering more accurate directions and mapping out the routes bike riders, hikers, and campers should take. The mapping service is also adding features such as highlighting the whole trails, rather than just the starting points, as well as offering suggestions on how long a particular route might take. It is expected that the update will be available soon in April of 2021 and will add parks from other countries in the coming months.
Last but not least, Microsoft has jumped on AI technology, introducing its Bing Chatbot to SwiftKey, an iOS app previously available on the Android platform which allows its users to type words and phrases by swiping and making gestures on the keyboard. The goal of this AI-powered feature is to allow users to have a more natural conversation with their phones and other AI-based voice assistants through the Bing Chatbot.
Boston Dynamics is a robotics company based in Massachusetts dedicated to the development and design of advanced robots for commercial, industrial and consumer use. Founded in 1992, the company is known for its humanoid robots such as Atlas and robots with animal-like traits like Spot.
Eric L. Adams is the 109th mayor of New York City. Adams has been a Democrat since 2018, after leaving the Republican Party. He is a former NYPD Captain, having joined the department in 1984. Adams is seen as a progressive leader and has made public safety a priority of his tenure. He was first elected mayor in November of 2021 and was sworn in on January 1, 2021.
