Imagine a frightening picture from the near future: a mouthless police robot with black eyes, collecting evidence and calculating the criminal.
In June last year, such a robocop - wearing a police cap to enhance the "sinister valley effect" - was displayed at the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Has he managed to do anything over the past year? Or is Dubai's passion for robotics nothing more than PR to show that the country is at the forefront of the latest technology?
As explained by PAL Robotics, which created the robocop, by the nature of his duties, he rather acts as a guide than a policeman.
“This robocop has become part of the Dubai police to provide assistance to citizens in new and more diverse ways, and it is located in popular tourist spots and shopping malls,” the company told the BBC. "It can provide information in different languages thanks to its software, and it can direct people to the right place."
“Moreover, it is a kind of contact point for citizens with the Dubai police - through the built-in microphone; in addition, with its help people can use other police services - for example, pay a traffic fine,”explained the developers of the robocop.
The introduction of robots into the police department is only part of a larger plan to make local police more sophisticated and high-tech, which will ultimately lead to the complete computerization of police stations and staff reductions.
The Dubai authorities plan that by 2030 robocops should make up about a quarter of police officers.
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“These robots can work around the clock. They will not be asked to go on vacation, they will not get sick and will not go on maternity leave. They can work non-stop, "- this is how one of the Dubai police described the advantages of robocops, after the first such" employee "joined their staff.
Noel Sharkey, a computer science professor at the University of England in Sheffield, worked with the Dubai authorities to introduce these robots.
“It was originally planned that these robots would help the elderly or serve as tour guides,” he told the BBC, expressing doubts about how good they would be as police officers.
“It seems like the plan was to equip them with an emergency button that will send your coordinates to the station, and that would be a good addition [to its functions], although then passers-by can start poking fun at it or knock it over,” Sharkey says.
There has already been such a precedent: in July last year, a robot providing security in an office building in Washington was suddenly discovered floating in a fountain.
Despite the fact that there are very few robocops so far, Professor Sharkey predicts that in the coming years their use will expand significantly - they will monitor or determine the presence of explosives and other dangerous substances on the street.
In China, where the world's largest surveillance network is under construction, robots are already patrolling train stations and airports.
In Henan province, at the West Railway Station in Zhengzhou, a robocop named E-Patrol Robot Sheriff stretched out in all its 1 meter 60 centimeters.
It is equipped with an array of cameras and has reportedly been able to detect a small fire with its sensors.
He can also recognize faces, which allows him to "identify and pursue suspects," according to Mashable.
And at the international airport in Shenzhen, AnBot, equipped with four cameras, has been conducting passenger screening since last year.
According to the Chinese newspaper People's Daily, it is also equipped with an "electrically charged riot control device," which is somewhat alarming.
Drones are being used very actively in China now, and many in this country believe that robots should be used more often in large cities to perform various tasks - from delivering goods to autonomous taxis without a driver.
Dubai has already tested the use of unmanned flying taxis and is now planning to launch a "hoverbike" - a hybrid air motorcycle that will allow police officers to respond faster to calls.
However, Professor Sharkey is skeptical about flying robotics.
“The sky over Dubai can get crowded very quickly,” he says. "But the ground level of the city can become a breeding ground for bad ideas and secrets - just like in Blade Runner."
At the same time, he believes that the emergence of robotics in cities is inevitable.
“I see many areas in the city where robots could be useful. They will clean streets, check buildings, deliver goods. But so far their production is very expensive and they often break down,”says Professor Sharkey.
There are those who believe that over the next 10 years, the sky over cities will be teeming with flying robotics - not only delivering parcels, but also helping to regulate urban infrastructure.
Bilal Kadduh, a researcher at the University of Leeds, is part of a group of scientists developing a set of drones that will repair potholes.
“There are three drones in the flotilla: one examines the roads, the second digs and prepares the road section, and the third - with a 3D printer on board - can fix them,” he explains.
Scientists expect a working prototype of this working model to be ready this year.
According to Kadduh, the day will come when drones will be widely used in construction and will be able to more accurately determine the problems that have arisen, and not just send an endless set of parameters to the center, as now.
He envisions the cities of the future, where drones will control the entire infrastructure.
“Imagine a drone that can land on some tall structure and use a robotic arm to fix something, or replace a light bulb on a pole, or install a new communication module on a telecommunications tower,” he says.
Such robots will allow not to use people where it is life-threatening, and also to manage the city more efficiently.
But of course there are also limitations.
“People don't like the 24/7 buzzing of drones, and it is quite difficult to integrate them into existing airspace. That is, the technology is already there - now the whole question is whether the technical regulations and people's attitude to them will be able to change,”the scientist-developer believes.
Jane Wakefield
