Boston Dynamics employees want to block sale of robot dogs to ICE
More than 300 Boston Dynamics employees have urged company executives to stop a sale of its robot dogs to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing the deal carries significant risks for the company. Executives have defended the sale, saying the robots are intended to help keep people safe and will not be weaponised.
A US Department of Homeland Security contract awarded $1.3 million to Connecticut firm Radeco for four modified Spot robots, marketed as Cerberus. They have radiation and gas sensors, zoom and thermal cameras, and can be fitted with an arm; the contract cites tunnel operations and other remote inspections. The petition represents about a fifth of Boston Dynamics’ roughly 1,400 staff, while reporting notes that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit has also been involved in immigration enforcement and deportations.
In short
- More than 300 staff want Boston Dynamics to halt the ICE sale.
- The $1.3 million contract covers four modified Spot robots.
- The company says the robots are intended to help protect people.
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The case for
Employees can reasonably argue that supplying robots to an agency involved in immigration enforcement risks associating Boston Dynamics with operations that may harm people or undermine trust in the company. The robots’ cameras, sensors and arm could have uses beyond routine inspections, so they may see a duty to question the sale before its consequences are clear.
The case against
Executives can reasonably argue that the contract specifies remote inspections, including work in tunnels, and that the robots are intended to protect people rather than be weaponised. Supplying them for hazardous environments could reduce risks to human officers, while refusing the sale because of the customer’s broader activities could limit a useful technology without establishing that this contract will be used for enforcement.
Explained simply
Boston Dynamics makes mobile robots, including Spot, a four-legged machine designed to move through places that may be difficult or unsafe for people to inspect. The US Department of Homeland Security contract is with Radeco, a Connecticut company, for modified Spot robots called Cerberus, fitted with cameras and sensors for remote inspections.
ICE is the US agency responsible for immigration enforcement, and its Homeland Security Investigations unit also handles other investigations. The contract describes uses such as inspecting tunnels, while reporting notes the unit’s role in immigration enforcement and deportations. The dispute raises questions about how equipment made for inspection may be used by government agencies, and what responsibilities a technology company has when supplying them.
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