“Smart Dubai” Initiative Continues to Shock The World

“Smart Dubai” Initiative Continues to Shock The World

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Months after Dubai unveiled the first flying taxis in the world, Dubai Police recently unveiled another world’s first — autonomous, self-driving miniature police cars that are expected to hit the streets by year-end. According to gulfnews.com, the robotic vehicles will be equipped with biometric software to scan for wanted criminals.

the driverless vehicles, about the size of a child’s electric toy car, will patrol different areas of the city to boost security and hunt for unusual activity, all the while scanning crowds for potential persons of interest to police and known criminals. The new security system comes with its own drone which can be launched via a rear sleeve.

Dubai Police signed a new deal with Singapore-based OTSAW Digital to deploy the new autonomous outdoor security robots, O-R3, as part of the Smart Dubai initiative, making Dubai the first city in the world to have O-R3 in operation, the police said.

The memorandum was signed by Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander of  Dubai Police, and Ling Bing, CEO of OTSAW Digital, at Dubai Police headquarters. “Dubai Police is keen to get the latest technology to fight crime. We always search for the best technology to serve our police work for a safer and smarter city” Maj-Gen Al Merri said.

On its company website, OTSAW described its new driverless vehicle as groundbreaking for the future of police surveillance for large cities such as Dubai. OTSAW also noted that the O-R3 performs 360-degree surveillance and deters potential crime with its formidable presence on site. With self-charging capability, patrol and protection is provided 24/7, all year round.

Brigadier Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, director of the Smart Services Department in Dubai Police, said the new car has cameras and will be linked to the command room. “It can recognise people in any area and identify suspicious objects and can track suspects. It has a drone and the user [police officer] needs to access the car through fingerprint. It will be deployed at tourist destinations in Dubai,” Brigadier Al Razooqi said.

Police will send a team headed by Lieutenant Salim Saqr Al Merri to the company to participate and supervise the final stages of building the car. The latest news from Dubai Police comes on the heels of word earlier this year at the World Government Summit that Dubai is also set to become the world’s first city to use flying taxis.