Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to buy at least a million dollars worth of robots from Boston Dynamics, the company that makes the dog-like SPOT robots, with the purpose of improving “officer safety,” according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announcement.
Will they even get that far? All of this sounds like dollars going to another bro down the pyramid. No one’s ever going to see those robots.
At least that’s how it usually goes in corrupt governments.
What’s the robot dog going to do? I don’t think it’s very strong and I’m reasonably confident that I can outwit it by going around the corner.
Even Boston dynamics really only advertises it for things like inspections of hazardous areas or remote locations. What’s it going to do carry their lunch?
My esteem for Boston Dynamics just went into the toilet. They know exactly what ICE is. What a way to end 15 years of innovation and admiration.
They’re were always going to sell these things to the likes of the military and the police, it was unrealistic to expect them not to. So every time they came out and said they wouldn’t do anything draconian like that I just rolled my eyes.
If anyone is surprised by this that’s on them for being naive.
1 Mill? How many is that, 4 or 5? ICE personnel have never demonstrated themselves to be the sharpest knives in the drawer. Are they even going to be able make any use of them?
Seriously, who the fuck posts paywalled shit anymore? Especially from places like 404 where neither u-block nor reader mode gets around it.
If you sign up they let you read it for free. But yes archive link is good to provide as most will not bother to sign up
Did you forget the /s?
What /s ?
"Free members get access to posts like this one along with an email round-up of our week’s stories.
I even have an account and have access to the article.
Humanity sees evil and continues to do nothing about it. No wonder God stays in heaven. Devil has won.
If you think this is all for immigration enforcement, you haven’t been paying attention.
So, Black Mirror is literally just the real life “Don’t Invent The Torment Nexus” meme.
I wonder how long until someone hacks one and goes on a murder-robot rampage. . ?
The 1% will pull the trigger on the class genocide once the military and its supply chain is fully automated. I guess we gotta hope they are arrogant and try before they truly are prepared.
I forgot how horrifying this episode was. Part of me wants to rewatch, part of me thinks it’s too close to our current reality.
It’s such a great episode. Because while the thing is terrifying, it’s also vaguely dog-like and clumsy in some of its movements, so you can’t help but anthropomorphise a bit.
But then something that looks kind of cute can still kill you dead.
No one is going to tell everyone else which show and episode you guys are talking about?
It’s called Metalhead, from Black Mirror (you could have also just asked, instead of this comment, would have gladly said so).
It’s called Metalhead, from Black Mirror
Thanks!
(you could have also just asked, instead of this comment, would have gladly said so)
(That was me asking in an indirect way. You also didn’t have to put that sentence in parenthesis, I still would have read it!)
That’s black mirror I believe, one of the earlier seasons. Don’t recall the exact episode though!
It’s almost like Congress shouldn’t have given a bunch of low IQ fascists a blank fucking check.
“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”- Mark Twain
Echoes of McNamara’s Morons
But Boston Dynamics has ethics and won’t do business with ICE, right? Right??
In the past, they held out and said no. I hope they stand by it now.
I just read that corporations are starting to cozy up to Democrats, in anticipation of the Democratic Bloodbath in the Midterms. Perhaps they’ll see that supporting MAGA and ICE is a bad idea.
Under a Democratic congress the robot dogs will have gay pride flags painted on them.
They will play a pre-recorded message of encouragement (“It Gets Better”) before opening fire.
Don’t hold your breath
The dog will do it for you
Eh… $$$$$ > ethics unfortunately.
Depends on who owns them these days. Last I heard they had changed hands a couple times.
According to Wikipedia, it’s Hyundai at the moment.
These are the robot dogs with the big red button on them you can press and they turn off.
Some moronic swat team used it recently and then lost it because the barricaded suspect kicked the button.
Benn Jordan did a good video about this:
Hopefully if this happens someone will make a helpful infographic on how to disable them
Its also really easy to yank the battery out if you need to. The battery also only lasts an hour and a half, tops, and depending what attachments are on it the weight and power draw will shorten that. They will only be useful in quick scenarios like breaching buildings in a raid. Range from the controller isnt very far either without wifi connection, you have to follow it around in unconnected locations.
People tend to imagine strapping a gun to it but really its a scouting tool. Open a door (awkwardly) walk in and look around. Then people follow in and do the work.
They also fall for the classic ‘put a blanket and/or some leaves over a hole in the ground’ pitfall trap.
They also trigger tripwires pretty regularly and don’t have much, if any defense against snares. Dumb shit like oil\lube on the ground will work too
Hell, I never thought of it before but just throwing a blanket over it would probably do a lot. Would be a fairly simple way to disable it long enough to get to the battery or off button.
We need to normalize absolutely wrecking these robots in public.
I was just wondering how hard it would be to rip a fucking leg off. I’m an industrial mechanic. Bolt cutters? Tin snips.
Beat them to death with a flock pole
I don’t even like the delivery robots.
So these robots assist with breaking in to private homes in violation of the constitution? Because it doesn’t count if a human doesn’t break in first?
Schrödingers cop. Warrantless search? Not a cop, doesn’t count. Scratch its paint? Assaulting a police officer.
Oh god the terrorism enhancement for damaging robots will definitely apply
I recall that a common January 6 defense was “the window was already broken”
Everyone who said that deserves to get robbed after an anonymous person breaks all their windows
