--- title: "ICE buys Boston Dynamics-based robot dogs in $1.3 million deal" description: "Connecticut firm Radeco will fit the robots with a robotic arm, thermal camera and explosive sensors" author: "rews desk" published: 2026-09-29T23:44:19.679Z modified: 2026-09-30T10:10:58Z url: https://rews.cc/a/ice-buys-boston-dynamics-based-robot-dogs-in-1-3-million-dea-242967 language: en tags: ["robots", "ice", "boston-dynamics", "border-security", "ai", "us"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # ICE buys Boston Dynamics-based robot dogs in $1.3 million deal *Connecticut firm Radeco will fit the robots with a robotic arm, thermal camera and explosive sensors* By rews desk · September 29, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/ice-buys-boston-dynamics-based-robot-dogs-in-1-3-million-dea-242967 ## In brief - ICE awarded Radeco a sole-source $1.3 million contract for modified Boston Dynamics robot dogs - The Cerberus robots can be operated from up to 1,500 km away and carry audio and radio systems - ICE says the robots support tunnel operations and anti-smuggling missions under a border defense law - Boston Dynamics says detention and deportation language is “boilerplate” and would void warranties over misuse - Activists plan an October protest and want Massachusetts to revoke $25 million in tax credits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded a $1.3 million contract for modified Boston Dynamics robot dogs equipped with a robotic arm, a thermal camera and explosive sensors, the Boston Globe reported on Sept. 29. The robots will be built by Radeco, a Connecticut company that modifies Boston Dynamics’ Spot machines. The firm describes itself as an authorized distributor and industry partner of the robot maker, and did not respond to a request for comment, the Globe reported. An ICE spokesperson said the robots would serve as an “additional tool to safely assess potentially dangerous situations before placing personnel or the public at risk.” “It can provide real-time situational awareness in hazardous, confined, or tactically uncertain environments,” the spokesperson said, adding that it allows “officers to make more informed decisions and, when possible, resolve incidents without immediately introducing personnel into a dangerous area.” ICE did not specify the situations in which the robots would be deployed, but the Globe reported that the description of services in agency documents suggests specialized operations rather than general enforcement. The agency said the purchase supports the Subterranean Border Defense Act and its mission against cartels, gangs, and human smuggling and trafficking networks, noting the robots can operate in confined and hazardous areas such as tunnels. The Cerberus robot can be controlled from beyond the line of sight, at distances of up to 1,500 kilometers, or about 932 miles, according to the contract. It will carry audio sensors that alert agents to a person’s presence and a radio system agents can use to speak to that person and attempt to deescalate. Each robot costs roughly $110,000 before add-ons. ICE did not seek competing bids, saying only Radeco’s robots met all of its essential requirements. “Radeco has significant past performance working with law enforcement (and military) tactical teams with the exact configuration being requested,” the contract states. The contract says the robots will improve officer safety and effectiveness during “public safety, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, detention, and investigative missions.” Boston Dynamics spokesperson Sarah Tabak rejected any connection to immigration raids. “Any suggestion that these robots will be used to support immigrant detentions or deportations is false,” she said, calling the contract language “boilerplate” and saying the machines would be used by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit to investigate human trafficking, drug smuggling, child exploitation and other border-related crimes. Boston Dynamics prohibits customers from weaponizing its robots or using them to harm or intimidate, and was among the first six robotics companies to sign an open letter against weaponization. The company said that if ICE misused the robot it would void the warranty, terminate the license and take legal action, and that no misuse had occurred in six years of contracting with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies. “Spot robots are tools that help keep people out of harm’s way. Regardless of any political implications of personal feelings about the organizations involved, if our robot can help keep people safe, we believe it should,” the Boston Dynamics spokesperson said. The company said the robots are designed to avoid contact with people and are limited to a top speed of about 3.5 miles per hour. Radeco’s sensor packages allow the robots to detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials, according to the company, which says it supplies all branches of the U.S. military, NATO and the armies of Israel, Spain, Italy, Germany and Brazil. Spot robots have been used by police in armed standoffs and hostage rescues; Massachusetts State Police deployed one during a seven-hour standoff in Hyannis in 2024, and this year the robots patrolled World Cup arenas with artificial intelligence-enhanced cameras. Civil liberties advocates criticized the deal when it was first announced in August. Eric Segal, 68, a software developer from Arlington and an activist with Don’t Mourn Organize Eastern Massachusetts, said Boston Dynamics “is being naive” despite its stipulations. “ICE is not in the business of carefully investigating and gently dealing with people. They’ve deported US citizens, killed US citizens, and separated families,” he said. Massachusetts awarded Boston Dynamics $25 million in tax credits for a $100 million expansion of its Waltham manufacturing facility. Segal and other advocates have called for the award to be revoked and plan to protest outside the company’s office in October. “To say on the one hand, ‘We’re not going to cooperate with ICE,’ but one the other hand, ‘We’re going to give $25 million to this company that sells its robots to ICE,’ that’s an inconsistent message,” Segal said.