Police in Dubai have launched the world’s first operational ‘Robocop’, which they claim is ready to patrol the streets and help the public.
The robot is 170cm tall and comes with an emotion detector that is said to be able to read people’s facial expressions and change its own expressions to greet people. The robot also provides police back at a control centre with a video feed.
The facial recognition software will also be used to help the police identify and catch criminals. The robot can also map a building’s interior and navigate it by itself.
The robot can also talk in six languages, and interact with the public and answer questions. It can shake hands and salute with its arms. A built-in tablet on its chest can be used by the public to access other services – to pay fines, for example, or report crimes.
“With an aim to assist and help people in the malls or on the streets, the Robocop is the latest smart addition to the force and has been designed to help us fight crime, keep the city safe and improve happiness levels,” Brigadier-General Khalid Nasser Al Razzouqi, director-general of Smart Services at Dubai Police, told Arabian Business magazine.
He said that the launch of the police robot was a step towards the country’s becoming a “global leader in smart cities technology adoption”.
Robot goes on patrol
The robot will initially patrol halls hosting the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) until tomorrow evening, before moving onto routine patrols across the city.
It is the first of a line of law enforcement droids. In the next couple of years, another robot will be capable of running at 80kph, according to Dubai Police. Another robot will be three metres tall, capable of lifting heavy equipment and controlled by a police officer in an internal cabin. There are also plans for driverless patrol cars that can issue fines for dangerous driving.