Boston Dynamics staff petition to halt Spot robot sale to ICE
Original title: ICE plan to buy robot dogs spurs protest from hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees
DHS awarded Radeco $1.3 million on September 25 for four modified Spot robots branded Cerberus; executives kept the deal.
More than 300 Boston Dynamics employees, of about 1,400, asked executives in early September to stop a sale of Spot robots to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A September 25 Department of Homeland Security contract gave Radeco $1.3 million to supply four Cerberus units, modified Spots meant to detect radiation, toxic gas, and explosives and to inspect remotely. Boston Dynamics said the robots help keep people safe, would not be weaponized, and that its role is mainly technical support. The petition cited a September 4, 2025 ICE raid at Hyundai’s Georgia Metaplant that detained 475 workers.
Unconfirmed: The company says the robots are for Homeland Security Investigations safety work; the petition disputes that use.
- About half of the more than 300 signatures were anonymous.
- Cerberus includes gas sensing, 30-times zoom, 360-degree cameras, and thermal imaging.
- An optional Spot arm can manipulate objects and open doors.
- Hyundai acquired Boston Dynamics in June 2021 and still plans Atlas deployments in the US.
From the original article
6 min read at arstechnica.com
US robotics company stands by ICE deal as more than 300 employees warn of risk.
By Jeremy Hsu · arstechnica.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.