Real-Life RoboCops Are Patrolling the Streets of Dubai

The Dubai police force will officially be adding the world’s first robot police to its squad. While it’s not exactly along the lines of RoboCop from the movie, the United Arab Emirates plans to use the bots in place of a quarter of their colleagues by 2030. Standing at a height of 5 feet, 5 inches and weighing in at 220lbs, the models — which were first unveiled at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) in 2015 — greeted guests this past Sunday during the the three-day Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC). The bots are able to read a person’s facial expressions and react accordingly in six languages. Plans are in place to have the machines on the streets in popular Dubai areas when the expo ends on Tuesday evening. Director-General of Smart Services with the Dubai Police Brigadier-General Khalid Nasser Al Razzouqi states:

“With an aim to assist and help people in the malls or on the streets, the Robocop is the latest smart addition to the force and has been designed to help us fight crime, keep the city safe and improve happiness levels. It can chat and interact, respond to public queries, shake hands and offer a military salute.

The launch of the world’s first operational Robocop is a significant milestone for the Emirate and a step towards realizing Dubai’s vision to be a global leader in smart cities technology adoption.”