Police in Dubai have recruited a self-driving robo-car that can ‘scan for undesirables’
By the end of the year, Dubai’s police force will have a new recruit patrolling the streets: a self-driving car that acts a mobile surveillance unit. The vehicle is about the size of a child’s toy electric buggy, reports Gulf News, and is equipped with 360-degree cameras that “scan for wanted criminals and undesirables” — presumably using facial recognition technology.
The bot is built by Singapore-based start-up OTSAW Digital, and its proper name is the O-R3. OTSAW says Dubai will be the first city in the world to use the O-R3 for everyday patrols, noting that the robot isn’t intended to replace human police officers, but to “fulfill low-level order enforcement tasks.” As well as all-seeing cameras, the O-R3 can charge itself…
