Following 'Electroshock' Gloves, Is Hyundai's Robot Dog Considered for Immigration Enforcement?

Local media reports have emerged that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering adopting quadrupedal walking robots manufactured by Boston Dynamics, a robotics company affiliated with Hyundai Motor Group.

According to U.S. outlets such as ABC News, a procurement plan released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security includes details that ICE is pursuing a new procurement project to purchase Boston Dynamics' "Spot" robots.

The expected contract scale is between $1 million and $2 million, equivalent to roughly 1.3 billion to 2.7 billion won, with the bidding announcement scheduled to be released on the 4th of next month.

Spot is a quadrupedal walking robot that utilizes cameras and sensors to enter spaces that are difficult for humans to access directly, and it can also be remotely controlled.

While the document reportedly does not specify concrete plans such as whether the Spot robots will actually be deployed in immigration enforcement, it is known to state that the main purpose is to utilize robots in environments that could be hazardous if humans approach.

As the Trump administration pushes forward with mass deportation policies, ICE has been investing in various identification technologies, including facial recognition, voice recognition, smartphone-based surveillance, and body cameras.

Recently, the agency also sparked controversy by signing a contract worth approximately $16.7 million to secure 6,000 pairs of electroshock gloves.

In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that the robots will not be used for purposes such as arresting immigrants, and Boston Dynamics also stated that it does not permit its robots to be used as weapons.

Regarding this procurement plan, Bloomberg reported that "ICE is looking to add robot dogs at a time when it is expanding arrests and deportations," adding that "civic groups are raising concerns."

Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Choi Gang-san | Design by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.