Dubai just deployed the world's first operational Robotic Police Officer, Robocop. Named after the protagonist of the 1980s classic sci-fi movie, the android can read facial expressions and help the public with everything from reporting crimes and paying traffic fines to transmitting and receiving messages from police headquarters.
Robocop was launched at the 4th Gulf Information Security and Expo Conference (GISEC), a three-day event held in Dubai.
Developed by PAL Robotics, a Barcelona-based company, the five feet five inches tall droid is equipped with facial recognition software that can scan faces from a distance of up to 20 metres and identify hand gestures from about 1.5 metres away.
The tool can be used to detect and identify offenders and alert the local police.
The Robocop can also broadcast live feeds to the police command room.
Officials are also hoping to establish a robot-only police station by 2030
The cyborg's deployment is part of the U.A.E’s ambitious plan to staff multi-lingual robotic cops that would make up a quarter of the city’s total police force by 2030.
Dubai officials had made an announcement about the city police’s plans to recruit a team of robotic crime-fighters in March, during a Best Police Practices Forum held in the capital city.
Say cheese! Check out the amazing Robocop over at the @DubaiPoliceHQ stand! #GISEC2017 pic.twitter.com/5exGfSkHC4
— GISEC (@GISECDUBAI) May 21, 2017
The robocop is officially on-duty since Wednesday May 24th
Currently patrolling malls and tourist hot spots around Dubai, the AI-powered supercop has a battery life of approximately eight hours.
Designed to detect emotions and facial expressions, the newly recruit robocop can identify whether someone is happy or sad and can interact with the person accordingly.
Other features include a built-in touchscreen tablet on its chest that can be used by the public to contact the city police and a microphone which feeds directly to Dubai Police call centres.
The in-built integrated system can be connected to social media and other applications as well.
Moreover, the 220 pounds droid speaks in six different languages, including Arabic and English. It can “chat” with people, respond to public queries, shake hands and even offer a military salute, according to a Mirror report.
"We're not going to fire our police officers by replacing them with this tool,” Brigadier-General Khalid Nasser Al Razzouqi General Director of the Smart Services Department at Dubai Police told The National.
“With the number of people in Dubai increasing, we want to relocate police officers so they work in the right areas and can concentrate on providing a safe city,” he added.
