![AI on the Beat: Traffic police robot hits the streets in Abu Dhabi](https://imagevars.gulfnews.com/2024/07/17/AI-on-the-Beat--Traffic-police-robot-hits-the-streets-in-Abu-Dhabi_190c056cbea_medium.jpg)
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Police have a new tool to make the emirate’s roads safer — an AI-powered robot.
Designed with a human-like appearance, the robot aims to educate and engage the public on traffic safety.
The Directorate of Traffic and Security Patrols of the Abu Dhabi Police is behind this initiative.
Brigadier General Mahmoud Youssef Al Balushi, director of the unit, said the deployment of AI was a part of the leadership’s vision for a sustainable future. He said advanced technologies like AI streamlines efforts, saves time, and enhances police work. It also reflects a proactive approach to community well-being by aligning services with the latest global trends in digital traffic education.
![Brigadier General Mahmoud Youssef Al Balushi](https://imagevars.gulfnews.com/2024/07/17/Brigadier-General-Mahmoud-Youssef-Al-Balushi_190c0514f4b_original-ratio.jpg)
What the robot can do
Major Ahmed Abdullah Al Mhairi, director of the Smart Traffic Robots Project, elaborated on the robot’s functionalities. Programmed by the Directorate’s national staff, it’s designed to raise awareness and interact with the public at various events and exhibitions. The robot educates drivers, road users, and pedestrians on traffic safety guidelines.
Equipped with advanced technology, the robot displays digital traffic awareness videos, responds to inquiries from the public and service centre customers, offers traffic tips, and can be used in educational lectures. It can also provide safety guidelines for pedestrians, students, and school buses. Additionally, the robot can participate in traffic safety contests at shopping centres and other events.
How can AI be used in traffic?
AI can analyse vast amounts of data, compare historical trends to current conditions, and create real-time insights. These insights can aid human traffic managers in making decisions that result in decreased congestion, such as adjusting traffic signal timing at an intersection prone to bottlenecks.
An intelligent robot is an intelligent machine with the ability to take actions and make choices. Choices to be made by an intelligent robot are connected to the intelligence built into it through machine learning or deep learning as well as inputs received by the robot from its input sensors while in operation.