Self-driven police vehicles to be introduced in Dubai
The vehicles are expected to be seen on the streets of Dubai towards the end of 2017.
(Web Desk) - Expected to be on the roads by the end of 2017, self-driven Police cars are set to hit Dubai. However, don’t expect to see an officer escorting the car since the autonomous car is tiny.
Continuing a Smart Dubai initiative, which saw Dubai Police introduce a humanoid robot officer last month, the force has signed an agreement with Singaporean company OTSAW Digital to introduce the so-called "autonomous outdoor security robot" or the O-R3. OTSAW touts the O-R3 as the world s first ground-aerial outdoor security robot.
With a wheel base less than four by two feet, the sensor-heavy O-R3 is fitted with 360 degree HD cameras, thermal imaging, a laser scanner and LIDAR (light detecting and ranging), utilizing SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology to navigate its surroundings, identifying objects up to 330 feet away.
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Picture Courtesy: CNN
At 275 pounds and with a top speed of 9.3 mph, the O-R3 ground vehicle can’t chase down criminals. However it does have an ace in the hole. The robot’s deployable drone can reach 27.9 mph to track suspects -- and not even Usain Bolt can outrun that.
According to Brigadier Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi of Dubai Police, the local Police is still thinking big. "We re planning later on to have robot (officers) in driverless cars," he confirmed
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The O-R3 is a pricey move and part of Dubai Police’s drive towards making 25% of its force a robot by the year 2030.
Till then however, Dubai locals will have to get used to the small vehicle roaming their streets and be vary of any criminals around them.
