Dubai introduces robot police force

THE police department of Dubai (杜拜) has introduced a new type of officer – robot cops. The public can use the touch screen on the robot’s chest to pay fines and ask for directions or other information. They will mostly be serving in Dubai Mall.

To the Dubai police, the robots are an extra pairs of hands at public spaces and tourist attractions. These robots are 1.6m tall, can recognise different expressions on people’s faces and speak six languages. Moreover, the robots can contact police stations so that the public can report crimes. The robots’ face-scanning technology can also help identify suspects and criminals.

The robots are created by PAL Robotics, but a lot of its software uses technology from Google and IBM. Dubai already uses robots for customer service and as guides in places like museums and airports, but this is the first time they have been used by the police. The Dubai police hope that by 2030, the robots will make up onefourth of the police force.

(This article is published on Goodies on 7 June 2017)