Only a few years ago, the idea of an AI-powered robot dog guarding a manufacturing facility would have been something straight out of science fiction. Now, it has just become reality at Jaguar Land Rover’s plant in Coventry, UK.

Say hello to Rover, the new robotic guardian of the firm’s high-tech EV build-and-test facility. Zero points for name creativity there, but at least we see why they picked it. Coventry is the original home of the now-defunct Rover car company.

Developed and built by Boston Dynamics, Rover has its own kennel at the factory where it can recharge its 50V battery between shifts. When on duty, it can operate 24/7 and complete up to 24 patrols per day. The tasks take place along predetermined routes, whereby the high-tech hound can climb stairs, open doors, and navigate high-traffic areas.

For some, this might sound like something out of a futuristic nightmare, but Rover’s job consists of more than just deterring intruders from trying to steal the firm’s secrets. The digital doggo is continuously measuring various parameters in the facility (such as battery temperatures), and also inspects valves and machinery. This helps to maintain safety at the factory, and frees up human employees to do other things.

Rover is the first of many robot dogs the company is planning to employ in the future. For now, the test facility in Coventry is the only place where it makes its rounds every day, but soon the sound of metallic paw steps will also be heard in other company locations, such as the Solihull plant where the electric Range Rover will soon start to roll off the production line.

Rover will also be joined by other new mechanical employees, such as plasma cleaning robots. These machines remove microscopic dust particles invisible to the human eye from battery cells before bonding. All of this is part of the company’s £18,000,000 (P132,500,000) investment into its “Reimagine” strategy, which is designed to ready the carmaker for the future.

Seeing how popular Range Rovers are with car thieves in the UK right now, we do have to wonder if it might make sense to offer Rover as an optional extra instead of a traditional car alarm. A good number of Range Rover buyers would probably quite like that.