How Robotic Dogs Could Protect Federal Facilities

Robotic Dogs Operate Autonomously

Hernandez points out that the dogs provide a means to eliminate critical security gaps, particularly in facilities that may house sensitive information.

If a government facility has an automated dispatch system, “the robot dog could be integrated into the existing system,” he says. “The dispatcher can see a dog’s location at any time on the dispatch monitor and view a livestreaming video broadcast as the dog conducts its patrol.”

The dogs can operate autonomously using Geocast, AT&T’s patented set of protocols that implement safety, security and reliability features for situational awareness; extend the dogs’ range of operation; and augment controls such as restricting use within particular zones or avoiding collisions. While AT&T does not offer machine learning capabilities today, many ML products can be integrated with the robots, Hernandez says.

Robotic Dog Hardware Is Robust and Customizable

Powered by an NVIDIA Xavier CPU/GPU and featuring a 16-channel Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link 2, or GMSL2, sensor carrier board, the dogs are capable of hosting numerous customizations and applications, which ensure government teams can leverage the robot dogs in virtually any way they choose.

They can be outfitted with sensors to detect fentanyl or other chemical and biological agents, gases and lethal weapons, Hernandez says. They can also be equipped with technology that allows them to be controlled from anywhere, regardless of the distance between the operator and the dog.

Within the dog’s middle body, accessible from its back, a sealed, waterproof (IP67-rated) subassembly integrates NVIDIA and Ghost Robotics’ unmanned ground vehicle mainboard, communications capabilities — including Wi-Fi operating on 2.4 and 5.8 gigahertz bands, along with support for IP/Ethernet compatible radios — Global Navigation Satellite System, and other electronics.

Their physical construction makes them uniquely suited for patrolling installation perimeters and traversing all types of natural terrain such as sand, rocks or hills and human-constructed environments such as stairs, Hernandez says. They can move underwater — for example, at the bottom of shallow creeks — or swim on the surface of deeper bodies of water, and they can operate in temperatures as low as minus 49 degrees and as high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Robotic Dogs Have Applications Beyond Physical Security

In October 2022, Boston Dynamics joined other robotics companies in a pledge to never use robots as weapons and urged customers that purchase them to pledge the same.

“We are convinced that the benefits for humanity of these technologies strongly outweigh the risk of misuse, and we are excited about a bright future in which humans and robots work side by side to tackle some of the world’s challenges,” the pledge states.