In Dubai, a forthcoming ‘Robocop’ will utilize facial recognition technology linked with Emirates ID to issue fines to those who violate regulations for electric scooters and bicycles.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) started testing the smart robot in the Jumeirah 3 beach area on Thursday, March 21, revealing this development.
How does “Robocop” work..
The AI-driven robot is assigned the responsibility of overseeing the usage of soft mobility options like bicycles and electric scooters. It detects violations, shares them, and collaborates with Dubai Police to analyze the data.
Introduced on a trial basis, this initiative stemmed from a Memorandum of Understanding between the RTA and Terminus Group, a prominent provider of robotics and AI smart services.
The five major violations include crowd gathering on cycle tracks, failure to adhere to personal safety protocols like wearing helmets, abandonment of scooters in unauthorised areas, scooter use by multiple riders, and riding scooters and bicycles on walking tracks or in pedestrian-only zones, explained Hamad Alafeefi, director of Enterprise Command and Control Department at RTA.
Penalties for these infractions may incur fines of up to Dh300, but in the initial trial phase no punishments will be dished out. The robot will only capture the visuals and data of these violations and transmit them to the authorities during the trial phase.
During the 30-day trial period, the accuracy of Artificial Intelligence detection and the quality of data monitoring will be evaluated as Robocop conducts its daily eight-hour patrol.
With an accuracy rate of over 85%, the robot can detect violations and transmit data within 5 seconds, covering a surveillance range of up to 2 km. It is engineered to function effectively in diverse weather conditions and features sensors that automatically halt its movement when within 1.5 meters of any object or person.
Robocop has an eight-hour battery life and is equipped with a 4K camera with night vision.
You might also like: E-scooter Dubai rules you must know
Operational timings:
During the trial phase, the robot will operate from 3 pm to 11 pm on weekdays and from 5 pm to 1 am on weekends. Operational hours will be adjusted when similar robots are deployed in various locations during the actual operational phase following the trial period.
The RTA plans to enhance the robot by incorporating additional features such as delivering the ‘adhan’ during Ramadan and issuing announcements to alert violators.
Deploying Robocop on Dubai streets is in line with the UAE’s ambition to emerge as a frontrunner in artificial intelligence globally by 2031.
