Mayor To Robot Dog That Fell Over In NYC Garage Collapse: Good Boy

NEW YORK CITY — A robotic dog that fell over while walking through the debris of a Lower Manhattan garage collapse last week is a very good boy and the future of public safety, said Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams ratcheted up his defense of his administration's purchase of $75,000-a-pup robot dogs during a news conference Tuesday in which he paraded the FDNY's mechanical canine in front of reporters.

The Boston Dynamics-made robot dog named "Bergh" — and painted with Dalmatian spots — was used last week along with drones to probe a parking garage that had collapsed in the Financial District and firefighters deemed unsafe for human first responders to enter, Adams said.

Left unsaid was the fact that witness video showed the robot dog had fallen on its side while it trod over the rubble. But perhaps that was on Adams' mind when he asked the robot's FDNY handlers during the demonstration to show how it could right itself.

"Some people call them toys," Adams said about critics of the robots. “This is not play time, this is real time. And this is an administration that is not going to be fearful."

"That’s why we invest in technology, so we do not have to send in human beings inside unstable buildings."

The mayor has clearly chafed over recent criticism that the robot dogs, especially one bought by the NYPD, are an unnecessary, even "dystopian" expense.

Critics howled this month after Adams announced that cops would readopt "Digidog" — the Boston Dynamics robot dog — after a brief, controversial stint on the force in 2021. They barked even louder after outlets such as ABC7 reported that upcoming budget cuts could force the city's libraries to close on weekends.

"You mean the authoritarian cop mayor is gutting the public library to give NYPD more robot dogs?" one Twitter user posted. "I’m shocked."

Among the critics were a group of progressive City Council members, who issued a group statement opposing the NYPD's robot "dogs."

"Once again, Mayor Adams is choosing to invest in a militarized police force rather than in evidence-based public safety strategies," they wrote.

"New Yorkers know that our dollars are best spent in schools, libraries, and infrastructure, not mechanized violence."

For their part, Adams administration officials have been adamant that the robots will not only be useful, but also be used responsibly.

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said the building collapse offered a "unique opportunity" for the department to use its robot dog. While drones checked out the building's structure, firefighters used the robot dog's thermal cameras to search for survivors, she said.

"Our robotic dog is key to member safety," she said. "It can go into areas that provide great risk to our firefighters and our rescue medics. It can also listen for what is going on inside, allowing us to hear a potential patient that may be asking for help."

Adams repeated that his administration won't be afraid to use new technologies. He said the NYPD's "dog" will only be used for situations such as search and rescue, evidence searches and hostage incidents.

“This is not going to be intrusive, it is going to be used in limited circumstances,” he said.