--- title: "Space Force Sending in Robot Dogs to Patrol a Space Port" description: "Space Force is to deploy Ghost Robotics' Q-UGVs in order to automate \"damage assessments and patrol\" at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station." date: "2022-08-08" modified: "2022-08-08" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-force-robot-dogs-patrol-space-port" categories: - "Robot Dogs" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "Space" - "Space Force" tags: - "ghost robotics" - "robot dog" - "space force" - "the digest" --- # Space Force Sending in Robot Dogs to Patrol a Space Port ![Space Force is to deploy Ghost Robotics' Q-UGVs in order to automate "damage assessments and patrol" at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.]() *\Image: US Space Force\* ## Paw Patrol The US Space Force is taking Paw Patrol to the next level. As [per a Department of Defense statement](), the youngest branch of the US military is to deploy Ghost Robotics' "quadruped unmanned ground vehicles (Q-UGVs)" — dog-like robots — in an effort to automate "damage assessments and patrol" at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, thus saving "significant man hours." The robot unit is to be deployed by Space Launch Delta 45, the fearless [Space Force "Guardians"]() who manage all Cape Canaveral Space Force operations, [*Space.com* reports](). ## Guardian's Best Friend According to the report, these Q-UGVs are equipped with complex audio and visual communications software, and though they can function autonomously, they can also be controlled via manual and even audio commands. On their site, Ghost Robotics [describes their dog-bots]() as "high-endurance, agile and durable all-weather ground drone(s)," ultimately created to keep "warfighters, workers and K9s out of harm's way." During early tests, troops dispatched their two robot canines inside a hangar — and posed with them in [front of a gigantic American flag](). ## Through Dog's Eyes The Air Force — which oversees all Space Force operations — seems to have a particular fondness for these robo-dogs. They were first deployed by the Air Force at [Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base]() back in 2020, and have since been incorporated into regular operations at other Air Force bases. "We will be able to see exactly what the robot dog is detecting through its mobile camera and sensor platform," Air Force major Jordan Criss said in [a 2020 press release](). "If desired, we will also be able to issue verbal commands to a person or people through a radio attached to the dogs.” We can't say we're opposed to these robot pups, especially if it means saving human Guardian lives. But if you ask us about the [sniper rifle-wielding version]() — we've got mixed feelings on that one. **READ MORE:** [*US Space Force tests robot dogs to patrol Cape Canaveral*]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on robot dogs:** [*Experts Shocked by Military Robodog With Sniper Rifle Attachment*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()