Jane Edwards
AT&T and Ghost Robotics have partnered to deploy robotic dogs that could support the missions of defense, federal and state agencies, public safety, law enforcement, fire departments and commercial clients through the telecommunications company’s FirstNet wireless broadband network for first responders.
“Network-connected robotic dogs can deliver a broad range of IoT use cases, including many that have previously required putting personnel in dangerous situations,” Lance Spencer, client executive vice president for defense at AT&T, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.
Spencer said robotic dogs backed by FirstNet could enable public safety agencies to perform disaster response and recovery, search and rescue, security operations and facilities surveillance efforts.
AT&T can also integrate its Geocast service for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operational command and control to enable robotic dog operators to remotely field and operate such platforms.
The robotic systems can be equipped with drones, long-range acoustic devices and sensors for autonomous operations, can operate across all-terrain and swim underwater and detect explosive devices and inspect mines, according to Spencer.
He noted that the military has been using the network-connected robotic dogs. The U.S. Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, for instance, has started deploying the robotic systems to patrol the flight line and base perimeter and transmit real-time video data to help personnel ensure base operations safety.
