Former cop and self-declared \u201cgeek\u201d Eric Adams held a press conference in Times Square today to let the city know how much he loves police robots. New York City\u2019s mayor presided over a press conference alongside police officials to discuss a pair of pilots designed to increase the city\u2019s surveillance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve stated this from day one, even when I was on the campaign trail: I\u2019m a computer geek. I believe that technology is here,\u201d the mayor said at the top of his remarks. \u201cWe can\u2019t be afraid of it, and as [NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell] stated, transparency is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the top of the list is Digidog \u2014 a pet name the police gave to a Boston Dynamics Spot robot. The system was greeted with a fierce public backlash when it was unveiled back in 2021, following its deployment at public housing in Manhattan. \u201cPeople had figured out the catchphrases and the language to somehow make this evil,\u201d NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said at the time.<\/p>\n

The pilot was ultimately pulled after a couple of months, over fears of profiling and increased surveillance. \u201cIt was something that was introduced previously, under a previous administration and a few loud people were opposed to it, and we took a step back,\u201d Adams noted at today\u2019s event. \u201cThat is not how I operate. I operate on looking at what\u2019s best for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spot will be joined by K5, Knightscope\u2019s egg-shaped robot, which you\u2019ve probably seen at shopping malls. The well-funded robotics firm has aggressively been targeting law enforcement with its products, and a nod from New York City is obviously a big vote of confidence (though, again, this is currently a pilot). Also included in the announcement is StarChase\u2019s GPS system, which can be used to track vehicles remotely.<\/p>\n

The Spot robots run $75,000 a piece, while K5 is generally quoted at between $60,000-70,000 a year to lease. The news comes roughly a week after Adams announced massive pay raises for officers. The raises of 2.25-4% will be retroactively applied back to August 1, 2017. A week prior, the Mayor announced sweeping cuts to the New York Public Library system amounting to $36.2 million.<\/p>\n