$2M ROBOT DOG SHOPPING LIST LANDS AT ICE

🚨 At least $2 million on robot dogs.

Fortune reports that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted a market-research notice on Friday exploring the purchase of "quadruped unmanned ground vehicles" — the four-legged machines better known as robot dogs. The posting included a draft of the robot specifications.

NBC News first reported the agency's interest in the quadrupeds, and per Fortune, put the government's intended spend at a minimum of $2 million.

The notice is not a contract. ICE's own posting stipulates there is no guarantee the government will solicit a future order. Market research is the step before money moves.

📈 It is not the only line item. Fortune reports the agency has signaled plans to boost spending on enforcement technology, including as much as $20 million to outfit ICE agents and officers with electric shock gloves, which deliver a debilitating shock when used directly on the skin.

The timing matters commercially. Civil liberties groups have raised concerns about plans to increase funding for ICE as the agency faces questions over use of force during the deportation drive. Every one of those dollars is somebody's order book.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.

Would you sell a robot dog to a federal agency?

#ICE #robotics #govtech #procurement #causeanuproar