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Science & Technology

Ford patents autonomous police car concept

By T.K. Randall
January 26, 2018 · Comment icon 12 comments

Dead or alive, you're coming with me. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 GabboT
The car giant's futuristic approach to law enforcement wouldn't look out of place in a RoboCop movie.
According to reports, Ford was this month granted a patent for a type of autonomous police car capable of operating either in co-operation with an officer or completely on its own.

The patent, which refers to 'autonomous police vehicles', describes a system that would monitor passing cars and use a series of sensors to determine if a traffic violation has been committed.

It also describes how the police car can wirelessly transmit details of the violation to the offending vehicle and record information, both about the vehicle itself and the person driving it.
What's interesting is that the system appears to be taking in to consideration the possibility of a future where other autonomous vehicles can be ticketed, even when there's nobody at the wheel.

Bizarrely, this opens up the possibility of a police chase involving no human drivers whatsoever.

Whether the patent will ever actually be made in to a real system however remains to be seen.

Source: Auto Evolution | Comments (12)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #3 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
so....by any other name then....its a glorified speed camera with automatic number plate recognition.... ... we have had them for years in the UK    
Comment icon #4 Posted by Piney 7 years ago
 Shoot you with beanbags, then spray you with mace and then club you. Cops don't want to get close until your incapacitated. Trust me. I've been there.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Stiff 7 years ago
"opens up the possibility of a police chase involving no human drivers whatsoever." Nope. No manufacturer is going to program a car to avoid being stopped by a police vehicle. I personally cannot see an 'autonomous' police chase. 
Comment icon #6 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
  be a totally pointless chase too wouldnt it?  what can an empty police car DO once it chased you down?   There will be NO COPS in it to jump out and arrest you.... hhhmmmm...... if this tech comes real I might just turn into a robber....   
Comment icon #7 Posted by Stiff 7 years ago
It would be totally pointless as there would be nobody in the 'chased' car to arrest either! A bit like 'police chase' slot car racing  
Comment icon #8 Posted by Captain Risky 7 years ago
if the automobile industry is moving towards autonomous vehicles then maybe the auto manufactures should be getting the fines. 
Comment icon #9 Posted by khol 7 years ago
I think most have seen this but it kinda reminds me of some of the police chases we have up here actually.   
Comment icon #10 Posted by UFOwatcher 7 years ago
I would never want a robotic on the road with me, I might do something un-human and confuse it.....
Comment icon #11 Posted by DieChecker 7 years ago
I wonder how such a car would arrest anyone? I guess a lot of pretty girls will not be getting out of tickets once this is a fact.
Comment icon #12 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
   in the UK at least... the speed cameras with number plate recognition ALSO  take a photo of you at the wheel, say, going to fast...then a ticket arrives by post with 14 days to pay it.  They also include the photo that shows you at the wheel so theres no denying it either....these cameras are either mobile, ie: a police van gets parked up someplace with its cameras watching the traffic and monitoring speed... or they are fixed cameras on top of traffic lights or on wires over the roads.... etc... they earn a fortune for the cops/govt, as nobody thinks twice about going a bit too fast if... [More]


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