"The drone platform is supplied by Skydio, a company specializing in remote quadcopters and something called "dock hives." These are exactly what they sound like: futuristic launch pads where police can remotely deploy their flying surveillance toys. Each hive operates in temperatures ranging from -4 degrees Farenheit - which may not be enough to brave Michigan's notoriously frigid winters - to 122 degrees."
""This program will enable us to assess situations almost instantly when someone calls for help," Shahin said. "By supporting our officers in real-time as critical situations develop, it acts as a force multiplier, ensuring we cut down on response time, allocate resources appropriately, and provide robust service every time.""
"If the design looks familiar, that might be because it's a suspiciously similar color and shape to the ED-209 in "RoboCop," an"urban pacification" robot that famously malfunctions and murders a corporate executive during a boardroom demonstration. Skydio isn't afraid to lean into the dystopian gimmick, either: each time a drone launches, the hives light up the sky with cyberpunk warning strobes that would make "Blade"
Dearborn launched a Drone as First Responder initiative deploying Skydio quadcopters from automated dock hives to scope scenes before officers arrive. The program aims to reduce uncertainty, shorten response times, allocate resources appropriately, and support officers in real time as incidents develop. Dock hives act as weather-rated launch pads operating between -4 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit for rapid remote deployment. Launches produce bright strobe signals. The dock hive and drone aesthetic closely resembles the ED-209 robot from RoboCop, linking the platform's appearance to dystopian urban-pacification imagery and surveillance concerns.
Read at Futurism
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