Dubai: Autonomous vehicles, drones set to scan Emirate's roads, skies

Governments and private groups from the UAE and other countries are showcasing the best of their innovations at World Police Summit

Waheed Abbas

Published: Tue 15 Mar 2022, 2:39 PM

Last updated: Tue 15 Mar 2022, 2:48 PM

Dubai Police is taking the lead as far as autonomous vehicles are concerned — a self-driving patrol car, drones to monitor the roads, and skies are all on display at the World Police Summit.

To ensure the Emirate remains the safest city in the world, Dubai Police is introducing the latest technologies at the four-day World Police Summit, which commenced at Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai on March 14.

Governments and private groups from the UAE and other countries are showcasing the best of their innovations to make their cities safer.

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Drone Box

Dubai Police is showcasing ‘Drone Box’ – a self-monitored platform to dispatch drones across the Emirate to reduce the police response time from 4.4 minutes to just one minute.

The operator can select a pre-programmed mission or click on the Dubai map; the drone will automatically take off to go to the desired location and share visuals with the operator.

Drone Box. Photo: Waheed Abbas

It can be integrated within a system, and in case of an alert or alarm system, the drone will fly to the location, and the operator in the control room can view the live feed to know the situation on the ground.

These drones can also be deployed at industrial sites for inspection, such as to know the radioactivity at nuclear plants and oil and gas facilities.

When the drone returns to the platform, it will recharge for the next mission as it’s embedded with a self-charge system. Developed by the France-based Azur Drones, the drone can fly up to 50km per hour.

Autonomous patrol vehicles

Dubai Police and Micropolis Robotics are jointly showcasing autonomous vehicles which could patrol highways and communities across the Emirate.

M01 autonomous vehicle is equipped with a drone, and it will be deployed on the highways to check the speed limits as well as other security purposes.

M01 autonomous vehicle. Photo: Waheed Abbas

Equipped with multiple cameras, it also can scan people’s faces and share the data with the relevant authorities.

In case of an accident, the vehicle deploys the autonomous drones and Dubai Police officials will be able to take visuals to assess the situation on the ground. This autonomous vehicle is also equipped with multiple cameras, including face recognition as well as behaviour analytics, to see the suspect and analyse the individual.

Smaller autonomous patrol vehicle M02. Photo: Waheed Abbas

While the smaller autonomous patrol vehicle M02 can be deployed in communities to ensure public safety and security.

The vehicles in the prototype and development stage have been built internally in cooperation between Dubai Police and Metropolis. The vehicles are set to hit the roads later this year or early next year.