The Robot Dog is referred to by LAPD and in documentation as a Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicle, or QUGV. It is a robot with four legs that can be manipulated remotely.
The robot features sensors, software, cameras, and a microphone to pick up information and transmit it back to a base station, where data can be streamed live. Audio, video, and geo-mapping of the robot’s environment is also collected and uploaded to Evidence.com, where it is stored for potential use by police and prosecutors.
Police are additionally able to use the robotic technology to carry a payload (e.g. weaponry, more surveillance tech), follow a path that has been pre-programmed, transmit audio from police, open doors, and pick up objects.
Image description: A black four-legged mechanical object with a green sensor on its front is moving behind yellow police tape. On August 12th, 2023, LAPD used the Robot Dog in Koreatown. Olympic Division police were pursuing 35-year-old Taylor Dean Sanders and shot him, claiming he was armed. In reality, Sanders had an airsoft gun and a lighter. Image source: NBC-LA News report August 15th, 2023