Dubai Unveils City's First Robot Police Officer

May 25, 2017
Dubai Police this week unveiled its first robot officer, which will be tasked with patrolling malls and tourist attractions.

Dubai Police this week unveiled its first robot officer, which will be tasked with patrolling malls and tourist attractions.

Civilians can use the robot to report crimes, pay fines and obtain information by tapping a touchscreen on its chest, according to BBC News.

The data collected by the robot will then be shared with members of the police force.

If the effort proves successful, the city plans to make 25 percent of its police robotic by 2030.

"We are not going to replace our police officers with this tool," Director General of Smart Services at Dubai Police Brig Khalid Al Razooqi said during a news conference. "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."

The robot -- which is a customized Reem model from PAL Robotics -- was revealed at the Gulf Information and Security Expo and Conference on Sunday.

Currently, the robot can only communicate in Arabic and English, but there are plans to add Russian, Chinese, French and Spanish.

Dubai officials said that a second robot could join the police force next year depending on funding.

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