Robot dogs are patrolling Mar-A-Lago to enhance security for President-elect Donald Trump, who has been the target of two apparent assassination attempts in the months leading up to the US presidential election.¹ ² The robotic dogs, named "Spot" and created by Boston Dynamics, are equipped with advanced sensors and surveillance technology to detect and deter potential threats.
So why might the Secret Service be using them now?
Ron Williams, a former Secret Service agent who is now CEO of the security and risk management firm Talon Companies, suspects the assassination attempts against Trump added urgency to the agency’s push “to upgrade the technology that can enhance the ability to detect and deter,” Williams said.
At Mar-a-Lago, where so much of the property is exposed, Williams said robotic dogs are long overdue. “They can cover a lot more area” than humans alone, Williams said of the dogs, which he expects will become more of a common sight over time.
And it’s not just the Secret Service. Williams said robotic dogs have increasingly become a tool used by militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world.
A bomb squad in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania that purchased Spot in the spring deploys the device to inspect potential explosives, according to Boston Dynamics promotional materials.
Last year, the New York Police Department moved forward with adding the robotic canines to its force despite complaints of “a dystopian overreach of police power,” according to Wired.
On the other side of the globe, Ukraine has used them to conduct reconnaissance in the ongoing conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion in 2022, the Kyiv Post reports
These robotic dogs are controlled remotely or can move automatically along a pre-programmed route, and are designed to cover more area than human security personnel alone. They're also equipped with multiple cameras that create a 3D map of their surroundings and can have extras like thermal sensing.
The device comes outfitted with multiple cameras that generate a 3D map of its surroundings, according to Boston Dynamics marketing materials, and can also have extras such as thermal sensing.
But none of this happens without a human master.
“They basically have a joystick controlling the robot dog as it walks around,” said Missy Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University who runs the university’s Autonomy and Robotics Center. Spot can also move automatically along predefined routes.
Unlike their human and real canine counterparts, robotic dogs aren’t distracted by visuals, sounds or smells they encounter.
But despite their many impressive features, the devices can be taken down.
“You just have to spray it with Aqua Net hairspray in its ‘face’,” Cummings said. “And that would be enough to stop the cameras from working correctly.”
While the robotic dog seen at Mar-a-Lago is not armed, she says competitors appear to be experimenting with models that are.
“People are trying to weaponise these dogs,” Cummings adds, citing a Chinese model with an attached rifle which she learned about at a robotics meeting this week.
They aren’t about to replace humans, says Melissa Michelson, who likens the devices to assisted-driving technology in some vehicles.
“We don’t have a lot of faith in the ability of cars to drive by themselves,” Michelson said.
Secret Service agents at Mar-a-Lago have been seen patrolling alongside Spot.
The US Secret Service, which manages Trump's security detail, has confirmed the deployment of these robotic dogs as part of their broader effort to protect the incoming president-elect. While some may find these robots creepy or intriguing, their purpose is clear: to provide an additional layer of security and safety for Trump and those around him.
Spot is known for its agility. It can walk up and down stairs and navigate tight spaces. It can even open doors.
But its ability to reveal potential threats ranks high among the reasons that so many agencies appear willing to pay up to $75,000 (£59,000) for the device.
Secret Service communications chief Guglielmi said the robotic dogs were “equipped with surveillance technology, and an array of advanced sensors that support our protective operations”.