Jam Howells disposed of his hard drive in 2013, which ended up in the Welsh landfill in Newport. The estimated value of bitcoins on the drive was 168.6 million USD according to CMC, July 26th. Howells's plan is based on acquiring two robotic dogs from Boston Dynamics — Spot®. The estimated price to recover the drive is 11 million USD, which also includes 74,500 USD for a single robot dog, Insider confirms.
The robots are to be used as both patrolling units with CC TV cameras as well as searching for the long-lost hard drive. The dogs are to be interchangeable, while one patroles the areas in search of the drive, the other charges its batteries.
According to available information, the dogs will be getting the names “Satoshi” and “Hal” if the project succeeds. The main reasons behind the dogs'' names are the group of people called “Satoshi Nakamoto” who developed Bitcoin, and “Hal Finney” who was the first ever person to receive a bitcoin transaction.
After several failed attempts at getting permission from Newport City Council to dig the dump site, Howell hopes that with the assistance of experienced consultants and two investors on his side he might finally stand a chance. Howells’s requests to perform digging and excavation works have been refused by the City Council since 2013, which states the following:
“His proposals pose significant ecological risk, which we cannot accept and indeed are prevented from considering by the terms of our permit.”
Moreover, the Council’s spokesperson added there is nothing that Mr. Howells could present to them that would persuade them to allow him access to the property.
