00:00It started as an internet sensation. Now Spot, the viral robot dog, has become one of law
00:06enforcement's most reliable partners in life-or-death situations. Five years after its
00:12commercial debut, Spot is now working with more than 60 SWAT and bomb squads across the U.S. and
00:18Canada. Bloomberg has exclusively learned. You'll also find it on international teams,
00:24including Italy's National Police and the Dutch Ministry of Defense. Weighing about 70 pounds,
00:29Spot helps police navigate armed standoffs, hostage rescues, and scenes with hazardous waste,
00:36places too dangerous for humans or even real dogs. Each robot can move autonomously, but it's still
00:43guided by a human operator using a handheld remote that looks a lot like a Nintendo Switch. The
00:49operator sees a live video feed from Spot's cameras as they sear through a location. A single Spot
00:56costs up to $250,000, often funded through state or federal grants. Massachusetts owns two,
01:04Houston has three. Still, the tech isn't without controversy. Critics worry these semi-autonomous
01:10robots could normalize a more militarized policing. The company prohibits clients from using Spot to
01:16deploy weapons, and several states are moving to ban armed robots entirely. Most spots, though,
01:22aren't chasing suspects. They're inspecting factories, power plants, and construction sites. With 2,000 units
01:29now in service, Spot's future may be as unpredictable as the humans it works alongside.
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