Tuesday, April 09, 2024

Protestors allege ‘robotic dogs’ produced by Penn U. spinout are involved in Israel-Hamas war

By Elea Castiglione 04/05/24

Jewish Voices for Peace held a demonstration at the College Green on April 4. 
Credit: Chenyao Liu

Around 120 protestors called on Penn to cut ties with a spinout that they allege has produced robotic dogs used by the Israeli military.

The crowd of Philadelphia community members gathered on Thursday at the Ben Franklin statue to protest Ghost Robotics, a company housed in Pennovation Works that develops and sells four-legged robots to be used for "data collection, intelligence, security, asset protection, and military-specific uses."

The protestors allege that the company is selling robots to Israel's military to be utilized in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Daily Pennsylvanian could not independently confirm these claims, including any direct connection to the University. In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel's military had employed robot dogs to explore Hamas' tunnels; it remains unclear which company produced those robots.

Ghost Robotics operates out of the 23-acre Pennovation Works property located at 3401 Grays Ferry Avenue. The company was founded by Avik De, who received his Ph.D. in engineering from Penn in 2017, and Gavin Kenneally, who received his Ph.D. in engineering from Penn in 2021.

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Ghost Robotics and a University spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. Ghost Robotics is listed as a participant in PCI Ventures Impact, a Penn Center for Innovation program that supports early-stage companies.

An independent group called Shut Down Ghost Robotics organized the protest, according to a Bryn Mawr College senior and organizer of the rally who requested to be referred to as M.K. due to fear of retaliation.

"We are a group of concerned community members who are worried that our tax dollars are subsidizing and that our campus is supporting the manufacture of these robotic dogs,” M.K. said. “Our message to Penn students is to get involved with us and to not allow their college to be the landlord of a company that supporting a genocide.”

The protest included five speakers, none of whom claimed direct affiliation with the University. Organizers said that Penn-affiliated staff helped organize the event but did not publicly participate or speak out due to fear of retaliation from administration.

“For fear of intimidation, [Penn affiliates] don't want to speak," M.K. said. "There's a campus culture of repression and fear and intimidation."

M.K., in both her speech and her interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, noted that while the robotic dogs allegedly being used in Gaza are not armed, they have the potential to be armed in the future. She referenced a 2021 article published in The Verge, which showed Ghost Robotics’ Vision 60 robots equipped with custom guns.

College junior Logan Chapman said that he attended the protest after learning more about the technology companies supplying weapons to Israel. He described the need for a ceasefire as "urgent."

Cindy Lou, a longtime Philadelphia resident, held a sign with an image of the robotic dog at the protest. Her message to the Penn community was to “wake up and kick out Ghost Robotics.”

A Penn staff member, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, described the alleged use of robot dogs as a "clear danger for all of humanity that is probably going to escalate in the very near future."

“The question people should ask themselves is, 'Do they want on their diploma or on their CV to see a University of Pennsylvania and know — and have other people know — that this university is participating in weaponizing robotic dogs?" the staff member said.

De and Kenneally founded the company while at Penn under the mentorship of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, & Perception Lab. In 2021, a subsidiary of the GRASP Lab, Kod*lab, announced that its founder was having his name removed from Ghost Robots' website and promotional materials given the company's "turn toward active partnerships to arm its legged robots."

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