Dubai employs ‘Robocop’ to fight crime in the Emirate.

The title, for anybody that hasn’t seen 1980s fantasy crime blockbuster Robocop, is one of the most famous lines from the film.

And now it seems that the film’s vision of a humanoid robot that fights crime is coming true on the streets of Dubai.

The Emirates’ police force has employed the help of a robotic policeman that can help with all manner of policing activities. These range from helping to identify wanted criminals and collect evidence to transmitting a video feed to help police watch for risks, such as unattended bags in popular areas of Dubai.

In addition, the life size robot can shake hands, perform a military salute and interact with humans who are able to report crimes through it.

“These kind of robots can work 24/7. They won’t ask you for leave, sick leave or maternity leave. They can work around the clock,” said Brigadier Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, Director General of the Smart Services Department at Dubai Police.

“We now see the new generations who are using smart devices – they love to use these kinds of tools,” he added. “A lot of them have seen the Robocop movie and they said: you guys, you have done it.”

BlessU-2

In other robot news this week a robot priest is delivering blessings in five languages in the small German town of Wittenberg. It is part of an exhibition to mark the anniversary of the start of the Reformation.

BlessU-2 – the name of the robot – is apparently intended to trigger debate about the future of the Church and the potential of artificial intelligence.