Automated police cars to start patrolling the streets of Dubai by the end of the year
Automated police cars to start patrolling the streets of Dubai by the end of the year
The Dubai police force is world famous for its fleet of supercars and its progressive attitude towards future advanced technologies. In keeping with this, they are adding automated police cars to their fleet.
The new automated patrol vehicles are known as O-R3 patrol cars, which will have plenty of advanced equipment at their disposal, including facial recognition technology and even companion drones.
These mini autonomous police cars along with their drone companions will begin patrolling the streets of Dubai by the end of this year.
It is hoped that these new autonomous electric vehicles will help the city identify and track down criminal suspects.
This week's announcement by city officials will reshape the future of its law enforcement, not just in Dubai but globally. The future is here and Robocop has now arrived.
At this point, we shouldn’t expect high-speed chases from these mini patrol vehicles and their drones. In demonstrations, so far, the robot never appears to move beyond a strolling pace but their drone companions can certainly keep up with evading suspects who are trying to get away.
The four-wheeled autonomous security vehicle comes with a built-in aerial drone that can survey areas and people that the robot can't reach.
The O-R3 can navigate on its own using machine-learning algorithms and can be controlled remotely from behind a computer dashboard just like the drone. The vehicle also comes equipped with thermal imaging and licence plate readers.
The manufacturer of the autonomous patrol car is the Singapore-based company, OTSAW Digital, who are claiming that the car and drone duo is the first of its kind in the world.
The Dubai police force says the robots aren't intended to replace human officers but to better manage resources and manpower.
OTSAW Digital also claim that the vehicles can recharge themselves and operate around the clock. Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, the head of the Dubai police force said:
"We seek to augment operations with the help of technology such as robots. Essentially, we aim for streets to be safe and peaceful without heavy police patrol,"
Last month, Dubai recruited the world's first police bot, tasked with the modest assignment of monitoring tourist attractions. The robot, dubbed Robocop, already speaks English and Arabic and will soon speak four languages according to officials.
The electronic officer is the first of many to come. Within the next few years, Dubai will introduce a Robocop model which is nearly ten-feet-tall and capable of speeds of up to almost 50 mph, which can also be controlled by a human officer from inside its frame and is capable of carrying heavy equipment.
By 2030, Dubai plans for robots to make up 25 percent of its police force.
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