In case you were worried our pandemic-riddled world wasn’t quite dystopian enough, the US border force has begun trials of a new worker to patrol their southern borders. Only this worker isn’t a typical border force agent; no, these are four-legged robot dogs.  

Trialing the Ghost Robotics robot "dog" as a border patrol tool in inhospitable environments, the US Department of Homeland Security stated that the move could simultaneously increase control over the large area of the southern border and increase the safety of personnel that would be patrolling in their place.  

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

“This S&T-led initiative focuses on Automated Ground Surveillance Vehicles, or what we call ‘AGSVs.’ Essentially, the AGSV program is all about…robot dogs.”  

While the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) forces are hopeful about the new "force multiplier" technology, US representative and prominent Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to condemn the partnership. 

The American Civil Liberties Union agreed, stating:  

“DHS’s plan to use robot patrol dogs on its borders is a civil liberties disaster in the making. The government must retract this dangerous proposal, and the Biden administration must put the brakes on our country’s slide into an anti-immigrant dystopia.” 

The robot patrols will be autonomous, and will actively cover remote areas that human patrols cannot readily cross. With mountains, desert, and heat all presenting tough challenges, alongside the prospect of illegal activity in specific areas of the border, the CBP hopes that the dogs will provide eyes where humans cannot. 

“Just like anywhere else, you have your standard criminal behavior, but along the border you can also have human smuggling, drug smuggling, as well as smuggling of other contraband — including firearms or even potentially, WMD,” explained Agent Brett Becker of the CBP Innovation Team. 

“These activities can be conducted by anyone from just a lone individual, all the way up to transnational criminal organizations, terrorists or hostile governments — and everything in between.” 

Ghost Robotics came under fire in recent times for partnering with firearms manufacturer SWORD International and attaching a large autonomous sniper rifle to the back of the robot dogs. The company says it looks for new ways to bring modern robotics into military and home defense roles, whether that be reconnaissance or actually engaging threats with weaponry.