Kane County replacing bomb squad robot with $353K ‘Spot’

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office is getting a new, niftier robot to help it disable bombs and do other tasks.

The county board approved the $353,071 purchase of a Boston Dynamics Spot mobile robot on June 10. The sheriff is buying it from FlyMotion LLC of Tampa, Florida, a company that sells robots, drones and communications devices.

The purchase was budgeted, with the money coming from the sheriff’s new vehicle fund.

Deputy Chief Edward Catich spoke to the county board’s judicial and public safety committee on May 15 about the purchase.

He said the county’s bomb squad responds to more than 100 calls a year. Its current robot also is used in some special weapons and tactics situations.

The current robot is 27 years old. The sheriff’s office could update it at a cost of about $250,000, he said. But that would not include enhancing it with more features.

“This robot has the capability of doing far more,” Catich said.

For one thing, it can climb stairs and open doors.

It also has the ability to disrupt an explosive device. With the current robot, deputies have to place disrupters around a suspected explosive, he said.

The bomb squad used to place devices into a container and take the container to a different site, then disrupt the devices, Catich said. The squad has not done that in about 10 years, he said.

The robot can be used for reconnaissance in other situations.

The robot can operate autonomously or with manual controls.

The price includes training and customization.

“It (the Spot) keeps our people safe,” Catich said.

“It’s time. Twenty-seven years is a long time,” he said. “It was time 15 years ago.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250616/news/kane-county-replacing-bomb-squad-robot-with-353k-spot/