'Smart glasses' to catch criminals, wanted vehicles in Abu Dhabi

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Smart glasses to catch criminals, wanted vehicles in Abu Dhabi

Dubai - The smart glass is being showcased at the ongoing Gitex Technology Week in Dubai.

Criminals or wanted persons trying to hide from authorities by blending in the crowd should better watch out. The Abu Dhabi Police will soon use 'smart glasses' or augmented virtual reality glasses to catch criminals.

How will it work?

The smart glasses has a micro-camera that will use artificial intelligence to automatically scan hundreds of faces in a crowd and will send notification to authorities when it comes across a wanted person.

The smart glasses, which is being showcased at the ongoing Gitex Technology Week in Dubai, can also scan police file photos and all pertinent information such as prior and current criminal records will be readily available to the investigation officer.

How do smart glasses work?

Smart glasses use eyes and facial recognition software to automatically scan hundreds of faces in a crowd. The device is no bigger than regular motorcycle goggles but it has specialised processors which form a 'superfast mini brain' that is faster than the traditional search technology.

"Easy to find, easy to catch, there is no need for us to do physical search or conduct check points. Smart glasses will have real-time iris and facial recognition to help us catch criminals and find missing people," first warrant officer Adnan Al Hammadi, from the IT department of the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.

"The smart glass is still at the development stage but there is no doubt that it will soon be used as part of our continuous effort to adopt to the latest technology to keep our country safe," he underlined.

The AI-driven smart glasses can also help police find targets in 'suspicious' or 'chaotic' environments, explained Al Hammadi.

He added that the database is ready and the technology is still being fine-tuned which eventually can also be used to scan pictures on social media. "We have information from Emirates ID and other relevant databases. The bottom line is: there is really a powerful potential for artificial intelligence to improve our operations which in turn helps create safer communities," he said.

Soon, 'smart glasses' to catch criminals, wanted vehicles in #UAE https://t.co/b6i0KbVl4t (KT/Angel Tesorero)@GITEXTechWeek #Dubai pic.twitter.com/gMjWjZoVTY
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) October 11, 2017

The futuristic police tool, which is slightly bigger and wider than ordinary motorcycle goggles, will also be used on the roads to identify and stop illegal vehicles.

"A police officer can simply scan the car plate and access all the records of its owner, including nationality, registration, and previous violations. The smart glasses are connected to our operations room and the wanted cars can be easily identified."

"The smart glasses are equipped with a camera and directly linked to our operations room. Moreover, if the officer is at the scene of an accident, he can send live feed to our command control centre," Al Hammadi said.

angel@khaleejtimes.com