Humanoid robots designed to move independently across rough terrain and identify people may one day support federal agents along the southern border. One U.S.-based robotics firm says it has already shown the technology to officials at the Department of Homeland Security, according to Fox News Digital.
Sankaet Pathak, the founder and CEO of Foundation, spoke with Fox News Digital about the company’s work on humanoid robots and how the machines could be used in border security operations.
Pathak said Foundation has been engaging with multiple agencies involved in national security.
“We’re in conversations with almost all national security government bodies, so Air Force, Navy, Army, DHS,” Pathak said. “We continue to have dialogues. We’re starting to negotiate contracts and some applications for them.”
However, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the department has not entered into a formal relationship with the company.
“The Department of Homeland Security currently does not have any non-contractual agreements, pilots, or active prime contracts with Foundation.”
Pathak said he sees Foundation’s Phantom robot being used for reconnaissance and surveillance in areas where human agents, vehicles, aerial drones and stationary camera systems can face significant limitations.
“If drones and watchtowers were able to solve for everything, why do we still have humans at the border?” Pathak told Fox News Digital.
Pathak said existing automated solutions struggle with tasks ranging from logistics to navigating complex terrain, adding that he thinks “humanoids will fill that gap quite well.”
Pathak said Phantom can distinguish humans from other obstacles, autonomously traverse uneven terrain and map its environment. The company’s goal is for robots to conduct those reconnaissance functions autonomously before flagging potential border crossings for human officers.
Pathak also pointed to tunnels along the border as another potential application for the technology, saying Foundation would explore underground operations as part of its use cases.
“Our biggest thing is if we can keep our officers in a safe place, and these robots can continue to surveil 24/7,” Pathak said.
He said robots could flag significant activity and allow human officers to respond when intervention is necessary.
“Tomorrow I think we could do a pilot. Next couple of months, we can do something much larger.”
Pathak said weather resistance remains one of the principal limitations of the current Phantom, but a second-generation model expected in the coming months is designed to be waterproof, dustproof and substantially more rugged for outdoor deployment.
While Foundation’s immediate vision centers on surveillance and reconnaissance, Pathak said the company would be willing to arm robots for border operations if requested by the federal government. He stressed, however, that the machines are not envisioned making enforcement decisions independently in the near future.
“They will detect and then flag and then a human would decide kind of like what the next step it needs to be,” Pathak said.
