Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The city has dubbed as the City of Gold for having luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture and a lively nightlife scene. It's also known as the 'City of the Future' with the many new technologies adopted in the city. And here the city has also enrolled the world's first robotic officer.
The robotic cop was first introduced at the 4th Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC), and was first shown to public at the foot of Burj Khalifa.
Wearing a police cap and moving on wheels, the robot features a computer touchscreen on its chest that can be used to report a crime or inquire speeding tickets, and a camera that transmits live images to the operations room.
The 100 kilogram and 170 centimeters tall robot can speak six languages, and is designed to read facial expressions and gestures using AI from up to 1.5 meters away.
"We are not going to replace our police officers with this tool," said Brig Khalid Al Razooqi, head of Smart Services at Dubai Police. "But 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."
"Most people visit police stations or customer service, but with this tool we can reach the public 24/7. They won't ask you for leave, sick leave or maternity leave. It can work around the clock. It can protect people from crime because it can broadcast what is happening right away to our command and control center."
"Our aim is to raise the number of robots to 25 percent of the police force by 2030."
The robot also features an SOS button in which the it can connect people to real officers.
Data collected by the robot are shared with the transport and traffic authorities.
The robot is meant to be deployed mainly at tourist spots and patrolling at the city's malls. The main purpose is to "find a new way to deal with people", continued Razzooqi, while acknowledging that robots could not replace humans on tasks such as making arrests.
The robot officer was designed by PAL Robotics, which describes its mission as "Leading humanoid robotics research for the real world."
Police in Dubai has become a growing tourism hub which attracted more than 15 million visitors in 2017. It has previously attracted media attention by parading expensive luxury and supercars as patrol vehicles.
