US tests robot dogs to patrol its border with Mexico - and civil rights groups aren't happy

The US is testing robot dogs to patrol its border with Mexico in a bid to increase the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) presence along its southern frontier.

The move has raised alarm bells among civil rights groups and some US politicians.

“It’s shameful how both parties fight tooth + nail to defend their ability to pump endless public money into militarisation,” said US Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in response to the news on Twitter.

“From tanks in police depts to corrupt military contracts, funding this violence is bipartisan + non-controversial, yet healthcare + housing isn’t”.

It’s shameful how both parties fight tooth + nail to defend their ability to pump endless public money into militarization.From tanks in police depts to corrupt military contracts, funding this violence is bipartisan + non-controversial, yet healthcare + housing isn’t. It’s BS. https://t.co/rIPMfjE8NV

The robot dogs are manufactured by Ghost Robotics, a security tech company that works with the military.

They have previously courted controversy when Ghost Robotics teamed up with Sword International, a small arms specialist and added an unmanned rifle to the bot with a 30x optical zoom, thermal camera for targeting in the dark, and an effective range of 1,200 m.

The robots being deployed along the border are unarmed.

A blog post by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said they would be “a helping hand (or ‘paw’)” to CBP personnel.

“The southern border can be an inhospitable place for man and beast, and that is exactly why a machine may excel there,” Brenda Long, programme manager of the Science and Technology Directorate at DHS, said.

According to Gavin Kenneally, the chief product officer at Ghost Robotics, the robots