If we're to believe the futurist ideas of last year's RoboCop reboot, robot enforcers will make their debut in Africa before heading to America. The same seems to be the case with the new movie Chappie, which features its own humanoid machines patrolling and policing the streets of Johannesburg.
But did you know? There have been robot traffic cops in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2013.
Fortunately these massive mechanical men are not (yet) sentient, nor are they mobile. They're merely stationed 24/7 at intersections in the capital city of Kinshasa waving their arms to keep traffic flowing and monitoring for any illegal activity. Why can't they just stick to normal traffic lights and surveillance cameras? Maybe the idea is similar to the concept of a scarecrow. These things, which also talk to pedestrians, are pretty intimidating.
At least until you hear their names, which include new additions Tamuke, Mwaluke and Kisanga, according to a new post at ShortList.com. Robot enforcers need to be respected but not feared, of course. Let's not forget, though, that names like Hal and Roy seemed rather innocent until they started killing people. And just about every evil robot, including newbies in upcoming movies Ex Machina and Avengers: Age of Ultron, is born out of projects based on good intentions.
So far, Kinshasa's robo-cops have been very effective in curbing offenses while also bringing income to the city by issuing tickets for violations. Even more interesting is that they were designed and built by a team of all-women engineers. Maybe the female touch is what's necessary to keep us free of a real-life robot uprising or apocalypse.
Check out the real-life robot traffic cops in the video above. Chappie is now in theaters.
