Dubai Police will soon be joined by new robotic partners.
Small robotic cars will begin patrolling the streets of the emirate by the end of the year. These vehicles will be able to identify criminals or suspects, while also searching out unusual activity, boosting security, Gulf News reports.
The mini cars also include a drone that can be launched to obtain aerial views. Information obtained by the self-driving cars and their drones will be connected and relayed to Dubai Police headquarters.
Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, said that the addition of the robots comes in line with the emirate's vision of becoming a truly smart city.
"Dubai Police are keen to get the latest technology to fight crime," Al Merri said.
"We seek to augment operations with the help of technology such as robots. We aim for streets to be safe and peaceful even without heavy police patrol," he said.
The technology was created by Singapore startup OTSAW Digital. An agreement between Dubai Police and the company was signed last week, according to a press release.
"Ultimately, robots exist to improve the quality of human lives, where men take on high value jobs while robots perform the low skilled ones," Ling Bing, CEO of OTSAW Digital, said.
In March, Brigadier Abdullah Bin Sultan, Director of the Future Shaping Centre of Dubai Police, said that 25 percent of the force would be robots by 2030.
"We planned for a security system for the future of the city to tackle future crimes. By 2025, Dubai will be one of the best five cities in the world on [the] security level," Bin Sultan said, according to Gulf News.