The first robot policeman has appeared in the US (5 photos)

The Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office in Florida has accepted a self-driving vehicle into service. According to Carscoops, it is the country's first police robot, designed to patrol high-risk areas and gather intelligence.





The vehicle's full name is the Police Unmanned Ground Patrol Partner, but it has already been nicknamed the acronym PUG (for "pug"). Technically, it is a Ford Police Interceptor Utility, a vehicle commonly used in the US, based on the Explorer SUV, which was further modified by Policing Lab.

In addition to a special color scheme, a battering ram, and other traditional police vehicle attributes, the PUG has been equipped with a set of cameras, a thermal imaging camera, a license plate recognition system, and a drone launch station. The autonomous driving system was developed by Perrone Robotics, but no details have been released.

The PUG is expected to patrol high-crime areas, acting as a "visible deterrent" to crime, while also serving as a mobile surveillance system to increase officers' awareness of the situation. This is currently a one-year pilot program. Its main goals are to improve police response to crime, improve officer safety, and strengthen public trust.