Uzbekistan's National Guard is testing artificial intelligence-powered drones and robotic devices in Tashkent as part of efforts to strengthen public security and improve the efficiency of patrol operations.

The announcement was made by Mirzaakbar Madumarov, a lieutenant colonel and representative of the National Guard, according to anhor.uz.

He said that the new devices can monitor public spaces, detect large gatherings of people and identify potential signs of offences. Information collected by the systems is transmitted in real time to an operational control center.

The technology is expected to help authorities respond more quickly to incidents and improve the performance of patrol units. The platforms are also planned to be integrated into Uzbekistan's Safe City infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence will be used to analyze incoming data, while final operational decisions will remain the responsibility of personnel operating the systems.

Meanwhile, according to government procurement aggregators Xtender and UzTender, the National Guard's Procurement Department has announced a tender for the development of two autonomous robotic platforms named ROBOPATRUL.

The initial procurement value is approximately $35,500, or around $17,800 per unit.