More than 300 Boston Dynamics workers petition to halt ICE deal

The deal involves modified versions of the company's Spot robot.

Company leaders have so far stood by the contract, Ars Technica reported, citing The Boston Globe. The dispute pits a group of workers against management over who should use the company's robots.

Key facts

• On Sept. 25, Homeland Security officials awarded the $1.3 million contract, Ars Technica reported.
• The winner was Radeco, a company based in Connecticut, according to Ars Technica.
• Radeco will provide ICE with four Spot robots that it modifies and markets as a platform called Cerberus, Ars Technica reported.
• Roughly half of the petition's signatures came from people who did not give their names, according to Ars Technica.
• Boston Dynamics employs roughly 1,400 people in total, Ars Technica reported.

Background

According to the contract, the Cerberus robots are built to detect explosive threats, toxic gas leaks and radiation in disaster zones or cities, Ars Technica reported. They are also meant for remote inspection and observation work, the contract says.

Each Cerberus unit carries an oxygen sensor, infrared thermal imaging and 360-degree cameras, Ars Technica reported. It also has a zoom camera rated at 30 times, and buyers can add a Spot robotic arm able to open doors, according to Ars Technica.

ICE justified the purchase as support for Homeland Security task force operations against illicit tunnels that cross the border, Ars Technica reported. The contract also cites efforts against human smuggling and trafficking networks that operate across the border, according to Ars Technica.

The petition pointed to a Sept. 4, 2025, workplace raid by ICE and Homeland Security Investigations at a Hyundai Motor Group plant in Georgia, Ars Technica reported. That raid at the Metaplant America facility detained 475 workers, most of them South Korean, according to Ars Technica. Hyundai Motor Group became the parent of Boston Dynamics when it acquired the company in June 2021, Ars Technica reported.

Boston Dynamics has publicly promised not to weaponize its general-purpose, advanced-mobility robots or the software that runs them. The company also vowed not to help others do so. Boston Dynamics said in that pledge that it does not object to existing tools nations and their agencies use for self-defense and to uphold their laws.

The company says it makes three robots: Spot, a four-legged machine for industrial inspection and public safety; Stretch, which moves boxes; and Atlas, an electric humanoid still in development.

What it means for you

For people outside the company, the debate is about where robots like Spot end up and who decides. The robots would be used mostly by Homeland Security Investigations, a unit that targets transnational criminal groups, Boston Dynamics told WBUR, Ars Technica reported.

Spot's terms of sale bar deliberately using the robot to hurt or intimidate people or animals, Ars Technica reported. The terms also forbid turning Spot into a weapon or using it to enable one, according to Ars Technica.

If a customer misused Spot, the company would respond at once, a Boston Dynamics spokesperson told Ars Technica. Possible steps include voiding the warranty, cutting off software updates and ending the license, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that none of its public safety or Homeland Security customers has broken those terms. "Spot robots are tools that help keep people out of harm's way," the spokesperson said.

Petition signers argued the link to ICE will make Boston Dynamics less appealing to job seekers and make it harder to hire and keep staff as the company grows, Ars Technica reported. "The risk for Boston Dynamics is simply too great to continue with this deal," the petition said.

Former interim CEO Amanda McMaster wrote to staff that the decision is in line with the company's purpose, Ars Technica reported. She asked workers who disagree to still respect and accept it, according to Ars Technica.

Growth plans raise the stakes. Boston Dynamics says it will spend $100 million on a new Waltham, Massachusetts, facility with 323,000 square feet of space. The company says it expects the expansion to bring 1,250 additional jobs by 2033. To support the project, the Healey-Driscoll Administration granted Boston Dynamics $25 million through the state's Economic Development Incentive Program. Hyundai still intends to deploy thousands of Atlas humanoid robots, beginning at its U.S. sites, Ars Technica reported.

What happens next

Under the Radeco contract, Boston Dynamics would mainly offer technical support for the altered robots, Ars Technica reported, citing The Boston Globe. Whether the company will change or drop its role in the deal is not known.

How and where the four robots will be used, and when they will be delivered, has not been made public. Responses from the agencies and the contractor were not available in the sources reviewed.

Boston Dynamics says it will begin moving into the Waltham building in stages in mid-2027.

FAQ

Will the robot dogs carry weapons? Spot's terms of sale forbid turning it into a weapon or using it to enable one, and company executives said the ICE robots would not be weaponized, Ars Technica reported.

Does Boston Dynamics sell the robots straight to ICE? No. The Homeland Security contract was awarded to Radeco, which converts Spot robots into its Cerberus platform, Ars Technica reported.

What if a buyer misuses Spot? A company spokesperson said the response could include voiding the warranty, blocking future software updates, ending the license and taking legal action, Ars Technica reported.

How many employees signed the petition? More than 300 signed, about half of them anonymously, out of roughly 1,400 workers, Ars Technica reported.