He doesn't bark, but he is capable of talking, recording with a 360-degree camera and even issuing fines. The Local Police of Malaga is participating in a project to test a robot dog, which will accompany its officers in different situations over the coming months. It weighs 35 kilos, has different on-board computers, is full of sensors and, helped by artificial intelligence, is capable of autonomously traveling, alerting about emergencies or detecting violations. “It is a support element for the agents,” explains Pedro Merino, director of the Institute of Software Technology and Engineering (ITIS) of the University of Malaga (UMA), promoter of the prototype.
The machine, which bears a badge with a blue light on its back as a warning of its police work, carried out a demonstration of its functionalities this Tuesday on Larios Street, the main commercial street in the capital of Malaga. With precision, decision and speed – it can move at 1.3 meters per second – it has made a round to the expectation of dozens of curious onlookers. The agents have marked several references on the road so that it could make the journey autonomously, although it can also be managed remotely via Wi-Fi. It has also shown its ability to detect risky or illegal situations – such as crowds – and send warning or advice messages. When a boy has passed with his scooter at full speed along the pedestrian path, the robot has warned him: “The use of scooters is prohibited in this area.” Furthermore, “it is almost indestructible,” according to the vice-rector for Research and Dissemination of the UMA, Antonio Morales.
The prototype is one of a kind. And during the next few years it will be tested by different units of the Malaga Local Police. The tests, however, will be carried out in places and times with less public traffic than the city center to avoid creating a stir among passers-by and preventing the checks from being carried out effectively. “The role of the police is fundamental because, first, they help us define problematic situations and understand what help they need; and, second, because they then evaluate it on the street to see the level of satisfaction,” emphasizes Merino, who believes that in the short term these types of dogs will be seen in the police forces of any city. In fact, there are already them in places like New York. “And here, the National Police, has already obtained a similar one,” he points out.
The robot dog is part of the 5G Tactile project, financed with Next Generation funds and in which the University of Malaga works together with the Defense and Security division of Telefónica and the company Alysis. The objective is to know the capacity that this type of robots can have to help in public safety tasks. And not only in purely police work, but also in others such as support in emergency situations. In fact, in June he will again participate in a public demonstration about his work in a rescue environment and in September he will do so to demonstrate his participation in situations such as fires or ruined buildings, where he can go forward to report on whether the conditions inside are safe or not. Until then, he will patrol the streets of Malaga with constant visits to the ISTA laboratory where he will continue to improve his capabilities.
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