Border Patrol 'Robot Dogs' Soon to Be Deployed Along U.S.-Mexico Border

Border Patrol agents will soon get help from "robot dogs" in securing the U.S.-Mexico border, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

The four-legged robot dogs that weigh 100 pounds have bolts, gadgets, and cameras. They are being developed for Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officials by the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), according to Border Report.

The S&T serves as the research and development arm of the DHS. According to S&T program manager Brenda Long, the robot dogs are being developed because the southern border can be "an inhospitable place for man and beast."

Long noted that these new machines may excel in that area. She said the devices are formally called Automated Ground Surveillance Vehicles (AGSVs) but commonly called robot dogs.

Robot Dogs to Help Border Patrol Agents Guard U.S.-Mexico Border

The introduction of robots dogs to help Border Patrol agents have been met with skepticism by some social media users.

A Twitter user with handle @sioxielegend expressed doubts about the ability of the robot dogs to do their jobs.

Another Twitter user questioned how the robot dogs could do the jobs of the Border Patrol agents.

In a statement, the DHS said the program's goal is to use technology to force-multiply the CBP presence along the U.S.-Mexico border while reducing human exposure to life-threatening situations.

The DHS noted that S&T collaborated with Ghost Robotics, an industry partner developing advanced AGSV systems, to create the four-legged ground drones and achieve the program's objective.

Gavin Kenneally, the chief product officer at Ghost Robotics, said the robot dogs were done for the exact type of work that CBP needs to do.

Kenneally noted that the machine is "a rugged, quadruped robot" that traverses "all types of natural terrain, including sand, rocks, and hills," and "human-built environments, like stairs."

Agent Brett Becker of the CBP Innovation Team (INVNT) said adding quadruped mechanical reinforcements is a smart move since many types of illegal activity are happening in the harsh U.S.-Mexico border zones.

Becker noted that human and drug smuggling and smuggling of other contraband, including firearms, can happen along the border.

"These activities can be conducted by anyone from just a lone individual, all the way up to transnational criminal organizations, terrorists or hostile governments-and everything in between," he said.

With video and other sensor packages mounted on them, the robot dogs have been tested at a facility in Lorton, Virginia.

According to WGN9, these machines can transmit real-time video and other data back to the human operating them and could be operated from a laptop or handheld remote.

The robot dogs were also tested on the rugged border terrain in El Paso and on tight spaces, high heat, and low-oxygen conditions. The DHS said additional testing also included putting the machines through the paces of simulated inspections inside, outside, and under train cars at railyards.

The agency noted that the robot dogs are being equipped with night vision and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear sensors. It added that these new devices would be "walking side-by-side" with Border Patrol agents in the near future.

S&T said it has been working with CBP and Ghost Robotics for about two and a half years on specifications, development, and capability testing of these robot dogs.

Illegal Crossings at U.S.-Mexico Border

During President Joe Biden's administration, U.S. immigration officials had encountered the highest illegal border crossings in two decades.

Border arrests for this fiscal year could surpass the previous year's 1.7 million, according to current and former officials, Reuters reported.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has defended the immigration record of the Biden administration. During the first year of the Biden administration, Mayorkas told Reuters they had been dedicated to rebuilding an immigration system that the Trump administration "dismantled."

Mayorkas noted that they are not targeting non-citizens who had been "contributing members of their communities for years and years," adding that the focus is now more on security threats and recent arrivals.

Mayorkas said he planned to issue a memorandum that would similarly reform immigration detention practices, but he did not provide additional details or a timetable.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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