Aurora will be deployed at an airport in Alaska to keep wildlife away from the runways. (Image Credit: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)
Boston Dynamics’ Aurora robot is lending a hand at Fairbanks International Airport by disguising itself as a coyote or fox to scare away animals like migratory birds, preventing them from encountering airplanes. Last month, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced this new addition and mentioned plans to trial Aurora to improve and augment airport security.
On March 19th, Ryan Marlow, a robot handler, mentioned the decision was made to test out Aurora when the agency realized it would be risky to use flying drones to spray repellants. Marlow says the robot dog should deploy this fall when the migratory bird season begins, patrolling close to the runways every hour. Aurora replicates the movement of predators to prevent wildlife from settling down near plane infields.
Additionally, the agency plans to see how Aurora does its job against large animals like moose and bears. The panels on the robot can also be changed to make it more like a fox or coyote. The $70,000 robot is a better option rather than a live animal. For example, a dog requires training, warmth, and food and can’t collect data. So, the robot works best as a wildlife deterrent rather than relying on sprays, poppers, chemicals, or explosives.
The robot always has a human handler with it, too, and moves through rain or snow. It’s controlled via an automated schedule or computer. If the trials work out, the agency might deliver these types of robots to smaller airports in Alaska, and that’s cheaper than hiring humans to scare wildlife.
Roscoe took three bullets during a standoff on March 6th, helping officers apprehend a suspect in a building. (Image Credit: Massachusetts State Police/Facebook)
A Boston Dynamics robot dog named Roscoe helped Massachusetts State Police with a standoff on March 6th at Cape Cod and got shot while performing its mission. Justin Moreira, the suspect in this incident, held someone at knifepoint and fired at officers when they arrived at the scene. Officers deployed Roscoe and other robots to find Moreira in a home.
Roscoe relied on advanced military and surveillance to help locate the armed suspect hiding in the basement. Even though the robot was knocked down, it still carried on with the mission and got shot three times. That shooting caused it to lose communication capabilities with the pilot. Using robots like these in similarly dangerous situations can keep officers or operators safe and provide situational awareness.
After the standoff, Roscoe returned to Boston Dynamics for repairs and evaluation. Based on the photos posted by officers, it looks like Roscoe took bullets in its neck and side. According to Boston Dynamics, these robots keep emergency responders out of danger and help them out during an incident.
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