Driverless mini police cars to patrol Dubai
Driverless mini police cars to patrol Dubai
New self-driving O-R3 uses biometrics to identify persons
of police interest as it patrols streets
Dubai Police said the new smart vehicle can patrol
different areas and monitor any unusual activities as well Image Credit: Dubai
Police
Published: 17:23 June 27, 2017 Gulf News
Ali Al Shouk, Staff Reporter
Dubai: Months after Dubai unveiled the first flying taxis
in the world, Dubai Police on Tuesday unveiled another believed world’s first —
autonomous, self-driving miniature police cars that are expected to hit the
streets by year-end.
The robotic vehicles will be equipped with biometric
software to scan for wanted criminals and undesirables who are suspected or are
breaking laws, police said.
Patrol vehicle
About the size of a child’s electric toy car, the
driverless vehicles will patrol different areas of the city to boost security
and hunt for unusual activity, all the while scanning crowds for potential
persons of interest to police and known criminals.
The new security system is so advanced that the
mini-vehicle even comes with its own drone which can be launched via a rear
sleeve — both are monitored and linked to Dubai Police command room.
Dubai Police signed a new deal with Singapore-based OTSAW
Digital to deploy the new autonomous outdoor security robots — called O-R3 by
the firm — as part of the Smart Dubai initiative, making Dubai the first city
in the world to have O-R3 in operation, said police.
The memorandum was signed by Major-General Abdullah
Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, and Ling Bing, CEO of
OTSAW Digital, at Dubai Police headquarters.
Smarter city
“Dubai Police are keen to get the latest technology to
fight crime. We always search for the best technology to serve our police work
for a safer and smarter city. We seek to augment operations with the help of
technology such as robots. We aim for streets to be safe and peaceful even
without heavy police patrol,” Maj-Gen Al Merri said.
“We always look to achieve Dubai’s vision of becoming a
Smart City. We expect it will be ready during the next Gitex fair,” he said.
On its company website, OTSAW hails its new driverless
vehicle as groundbreaking for the future of police surveillance for large
cities such as Dubai.
The company said its world’s first autonomous security
robot features an antenna and ground surveillance system.
OTSAW also noted that the O-R3 performs 360-degree
surveillance and deters potential crime with its formidable presence on site.
With self-charging capability, patrol and protection is provided 24/7, all year
round.
“Ultimately, robots exist to improve the quality of human
lives, where men take on high-value jobs while robots perform the low-skilled
ones,” Bing said.
The company said that it expects the O-R3 to begin
policing Dubai by the end of 2017.
Brigadier Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, director of the Smart
Services Department in Dubai Police, said the new car has cameras and will be
linked to the command room.
Tracking suspects
“It can recognise people in any area and identify
suspicious objects and can track suspects. It has a drone and the user [police
officer] needs to access the car through fingerprint. It will be deployed at
tourist destinations in Dubai,” Brigadier Al Razooqi said.
Police will send a team headed by Lieutenant Salim Saqr
Al Merri to the company to participate and supervise the final stages of
building the car.
The latest news from Dubai Police comes on the heels of
word earlier this year at the World Government Summit that Dubai is also set to
become the world’s first city to use flying taxis.
In April, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) officials
said they will begin a trial run of ‘flying taxis’ in 2020.
The RTA said at the time that it will carry out the test
flight of Vertical Take-off and Landing Vehicles (VToL) in partnership with
Uber.
According to Uber, the first demonstration network is
expected to be ready for Expo 2020.
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