Robot police were once sci-fi fantasy, but soon the real thing will be patrolling the streets of Dubai.
While the original RoboCop from the 1987 film, a superhuman cyborg law enforcer, could hunt down murderous criminals, the real-life version will be tackling more straightforward misdemeanours.
The first robot police officer will be on patrol in the wealthy United Arab Emirates city by May this year, Dubai Police have confirmed.
Members of the public will be able to report crimes to the multilingual police robot using a touchscreen on its chest.
The friendly robot, which can salute and shake hands, can also be used by members of the public to pay traffic fines and submit paperwork.
Dubai Police, who unveiled the prototype at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition last year, want 25 per cent of its force to be robots by 2030.
Brigadier Abdullah Bin Sultan told Gulf News: “We are looking to have more robots in the future to handle policing.
“By 2030, we are keen to make robots around 25 per cent of the total police force.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/03/20/real-life-robocops-will-soon-replace-human-police/