If mapping data from Taipei’s proposed robot dog sidewalk patrol program were to end up in Chinese hands, the consequences would be severe, a military expert said yesterday.
Military expert Wang Cheng-ming (王臻明) wrote on Facebook that spies in the air force’s Air Defense and Missile Command previously used a mapping device provided by China to provide detailed information on key roads across Taiwan.
The robot dogs that Taipei is proposing to use to patrol sidewalks could pose an even greater threat, Wang said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
These robot dogs are suspected to be made by the Chinese robotics company Unitree, he said.
Authorities should think twice about whether they want to use these robots, especially given that Chinese tech products frequently contain backdoors, he said.
There are many similar products on the market internationally, and several universities in Taiwan have ongoing related research projects, Wang said.
Taipei should collaborate with local companies and universities, as Taiwan’s products are more secure, and its capital city should be supporting domestic industries rather than creating national security loopholes, he said.
China is eager to obtain information about Taiwan’s many narrow streets and bridges to understand whether armored military vehicles could pass through, Wang said.
This requires precise distance and measurement data that cannot be obtained via satellite, which is why Chinese spies previously used mapping devices, he said.
Taiwan must remain vigilant to avoid giving the enemy any information it could exploit, he added.
Taipei’s robot dog sidewalk patrol is still in its pilot program and has yet to be officially launched, the city’s New Construction Office said yesterday after a city councilor voiced concerns over the robots’ data collection and Chinese origin.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) wrote on Facebook that the robot dogs’ purpose is not to clean and protect sidewalks, but to gather and report data to the Taipei City Government.
The office admitted that the robot is made in China, and it has been completely taken out of use following her request, Yen said.
Yen urged the city government to prevent similar products from entering Taipei again and examine whether the decisionmaking process was deliberately lax or manipulated by individuals with ulterior motives.
The New Construction Office said the robot dog was provided by the contracted company and the project is still being tested, and it has yet to be officially launched.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday morning said that the central and city governments would discuss this innovative experiment later in the day.
The city government would not only make sure all roads are paved smoothly, but also conduct more efficient inspections, Chiang said.
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