The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) has introduced a new tool in its fight against COVID-19, a robot dog named “Spot.”
The robot dog has been purchased by the department earlier this year at a cost of $150,000.
Spot has been deployed at homeless sites on Oahu, where it has been screening individuals for COVID.
According to HPD, the homeless sites have taken in more than 1,700 individuals since the start of the pandemic and have reported only 14 positive cases.
The department credits the low number of cases to the mitigation procedures put in place, along with the use of technology such as Spot.
“Having the ability to deploy something that can do all the interaction with someone on a mobile platform,” said Lt. Dan O’Neal of the Honolulu Police Department.
“It takes the possibility of transmission out of the equation. For me, I really don’t think over the long term $150,000 is a waste,” he said.
Spot is equipped with advanced technology, including the ability to take a person’s temperature from a distance of seven feet in just a fraction of a second.
It also has two-way communication capabilities and can deliver PPE, food, and water to individuals who test positive for COVID-19.
