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IN IMAGES: AI ‘robodog’ starts to police the streets of Spain’s Málaga

Police in Málaga are testing out an AI 'robot-dog' to monitor reckless electric scooter riders in pedestrian areas, the first of its kind in Spain.

Published: 20 March 2024 12:34 CET
IN IMAGES: AI 'robodog' starts to police the streets of Spain's Málaga
It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm AI-powered. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

Local police in Málaga have turned to a new sort of colleague to help them monitor reckless scooter riders in pedestrian areas of the city: a Robocop pooch.

Walking on four legs and weighing 35kg, the robot is equipped with artificial intelligence technology but was remotely controlled during its trial phase. It was designed at the nearby University of Málaga (UMA).

The police robot being tested in a street of Málaga by the city’s local police. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

The robot has a blue light on its back to signal that it’s doing police work, and is equipped with video technology that can detect obstacles.

A team of 40 engineers have been working on the design of Málaga’s robodog cop for over two years. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

It can also carry pre-recorded messages, either to warn that access to a street is restricted, for example, or to reassure the public that help is on the way in the case of an accident.

It is designed as a “support element for the police” and can record video and analyse it in real time, as well as “detect pre-configured situations of problems on roads” and alert on emergency situations, according to Pedro Merino, director of UMA’s Institute of Software Technology and Engineering.

A crowd of curious bystanders gathers to take photos of the newest policía in town. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

When out and about in Málaga city centre on Tuesday, a local rode his scooter at full speed along the pedestrian walkway and the robot warned him: “It is forbidden to use scooters in this area”.

READ ALSO: The new rules for e-scooters in Spain in 2024

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LIFE IN SPAIN

EXPLAINED: Spain’s new monthly pass to access porn websites

Spain's government will soon launch an app which forces people who want to watch porn online to use their official digital ID in order to get a monthly pass for adult content websites, a move aimed at protecting children from pornography.

Published: 3 July 2024 11:12 CEST
EXPLAINED: Spain's new monthly pass to access porn websites

In Spain, the average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is between eight and nine years old and 50 percent of children between 11 and 13 years old actively watch or look at this type of content, according to data collected by the Dale Una Vuelta association, which aims to help porn addicts.

The association has been asking for regulation for years, particularly because last year it was revealed that there has been a rise in sexual attacks by minors who watch porn. There has been a total increase of 116 percent in sexual assaults carried out by children in the last five years.

READ ALSO – ‘Learning through porn’: Concern in Spain over rise in sexual attacks by minors

Digital Transformation Minister José Luis Escrivá explained that the app should be fully operational within the next couple of months.

Essentially it will be able to verify the user’s age and issue a credential, which will be valid for 30 days. This will prevent anyone under the age of 18 from accessing a porn site. 

Users must request authorisation through the Beta Digital Wallet application, which will be downloadable onto a mobile phone.

The person must then identify themselves using an electronic DNI, digital certificate or Cl@ve.

Based on the data collected, the person’s age will be verified before they can access a site. This will expire after one month, when they will have to reapply for more credentials.

It works in a similar way to a mobile phone wallet. When you access an adult content platform, the website itself will provide a QR code that must be scanned from the application to prove that you are of age.

Monthly renewal is necessary to prevent web pages from keeping all of the users’ browsing data.

Currently, only adult content platforms in Spain will be required to carry out this verification, but the Ministry has requested the collaboration of other places such as social networks or instant messaging apps.

The National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) will also manage a list of pages with adult content not subject to Spanish jurisdiction, with the aim that browsers will be able to verify the age of those who want to access it, before revealing any content.

The Digital Wallet can also be used to store other official documents, such as university degrees, registration data or electronic DNI.

However, cybersecurity experts say the app will be subject to basic technical flaws, which will make the system totally ineffective.

The initiative has also raised all kinds of ethical, technical and legal questions, with many saying they people shouldn’t have to identify themselves in the same way they do to pay their taxes to be able to access porn. 

The monthly pass has been jokingly dubbed in the Spanish press as pajaporte, a play on words between paja (wank) and pasaporte (passport). 

Minister Escrivá has justified the plan by saying that we need to tackle the problem of children accessing porn. “The data we see regarding minors’ access to adult content and its possible consequences are what have led us to develop this tool as quickly as possible,” he said. 

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