Arkansas State Police bomb squad unveils new dog-like robot
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas State Police introduced a new member of their bomb squad and SWAT mission team on Monday, a robot dog courtesy of Boston Dynamics.
Affectionately named 'Buford,' after a former bomb squad commander and retired Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agent Bill Buford, the department says it will be used in multiple missions to mitigate the risk of life.
'We can use this to go into dangerous situations where we won't have to send an individual,' said Corporal Josh Berry, a bomb technician with the Arkansas State Police.
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In those dangerous situations, Berry says the robot, which a member of the department will control, will use artificial intelligence in training to do things like open doors, deliver throw phones, and capture surveillance of a scene before officers would have to be deployed.
The robot dog moves on four legs while being controlled by an officer. It uses thermal vision and video recording technology to give officers a set of eyes in a potentially dangerous and life-threatening area from afar.
Berry said it would be an addition to their robots already in use on the force.
Federal grant money paid for the $282,000 robot. This coming Tuesday and Wednesday, Berry said the state police bomb squad team will undergo 16 hours of hands-on training with Boston Dynamics before the new addition is deployed in the field.
'It's easier than some of our other platforms, we can load this up and put it in a vehicle real quick, versus having to take on of our large response vehicles,' Berry said.
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Berry said the robot's battery life is 90 minutes before it needs to be replaced, adding that Buford is the first of its kind in Arkansas.
'We're not sure on how long it will last, but the great thing they do is send us [software] updates at no additional cost,' Berry said.
Berry said they've already shown the robot off at various school events around the central Arkansas area, and any similar future technological investments will be gauged by how well Buford performs in the field.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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