In the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, drivers are constantly ignoring traffic laws. Since 2007 there have been a staggering 2276 fatalities due to dangerous driving in the city, a number that is completely unacceptable by any standard.
To counter the problem, the city has deployed massive robots and no, we’re not joking! The solar-powered aluminium robots tower over the busy streets of Kanshasa. The robots are equipped with green and red lights, to help control traffic flow; essentially traffic lights. There are five robots in the city, which can wave their arms, have rotating chests, surveillance cameras that record traffic flow and to send real-time images to police.
Effectively, the robots are just glorified traffic lights and speed cameras all in one, but their huge and rather imposing design is a stern reminder to drivers that traffic law should be taken seriously. Let’s be honest, it’s kinda hard to ignore the rules when you know you’re being watched by a big police robot.
“There are certain drivers who don’t respect the traffic police. But with the robot it will be different. We should respect the robot,” taxi driver Poro Zidane told AFP.
“In our city, someone can commit an offence and run away, and say that no one saw him. But now, day or night, we’ll be able to see him in real time and he will pay his fine like in all the serious countries of the world,” she said.
Although, they should have gone with the design from Robocop, it’s far more intimidating.
Thank you Guardian for providing us with this information.
