Chennai police to launch Artificial Intelligence powered hi-tech drone unit

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Drones equipped with hi-tech cameras and powered by Artificial Intelligence would form part of an exclusive 'police drone unit' set to be launched soon, the Greater Chennai police on Saturday.

The unit to be launched shall comprise six swift action surveillance drones, a heavy-lift multirotor drone and two long range surveillance drones, they said adding they have a range of 5-10 kilometers.

The drones have multiple uses, like assessing crowd for management purpose and identifying accused using 'facial recognition feature.' The drones with features ranging from Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to thermal cameras are expected to help authorities in more than one way. Taking an appropriate decision by precisely monitoring the ground situation and using them even during night are among the uses.

Launch of apps for use by police authorities including one to tackle/prevent cyber crimes are on the cards, a senior police officer said.