The future of police robots still remains unclear in this day and age. That is not entirely uncommon by any means, as this idea raises a lot of questions and criticism. Hyderabad, a city in India, is introducing its first police robot iteration to the masses.
Hyberabad Sees Merit in Police Robots
It is evident the future of robotics will look very different from what most consumers expect. There are many different benefits to embracing robotics in a meaningful manner. At the same time, it will also lead to a major shift in the job market, which has been widely touted as the “end of human jobs” over the past few years. Robots will not replace humans everywhere by any means, but only make our society more efficient.
One key area to explore comes in the form of police robots. While most people associate this concept with Robocop or even Terminator, the reality is very different compared to those movies. More specifically, it seems the main objective is to make society feel safer, while also removing the danger associated with the job for human police officers. A robot is more suited for taking bullets compared to human flesh, after all.
For Hyberabad, building a police robot has been an ongoing process. The Indian city has been looking for different ways to merge police duties with robots in a convenient and meaningful manner. Dubai police officials introduced the first robot police officer in May of 2017. It is a very simplistic unit which accommodates very basic tasks. For Hyberabad, the goal was to take that idea to a new level.
As such, their first “smart” policing robot is known as Robocop. That name is aptly chosen, although it will undoubtedly draw parallels to the Hollywood movie franchise. This unit can move, recognize people, take complaints, detect bombs, and answer to queries. The police robot has built-in cameras, GPS, sensors, and so forth.
The exact trial period of this police robot remains unclear at this time. Although it will patrol the streets of Hyberabad, it is a bit unclear what the team hopes to achieve in doing so. Collecting valuable data will be the number one priority, by the look of things, although tests like these can also have adverse effects in the long run. Robotics are, while innovative and fascinating, also subject to security issues like any other form of technology.
Slowly but surely, police robots are becoming more commonplace all over the world. That is only normal, as this concept has a lot of merit when it is deployed correctly. There is a good chance units of this magnitude will become a lot more commonplace around the globe, as similar efforts are taking place in Brazil, Poland, Israel, Russia, and so forth. A very peculiar market trend to keep an eye on.