INCHEON — At the exhibition hall of the 2026 International Police Industry Exhibition at Songdo Convensia on the afternoon of Oct. 21, a humanoid robot dressed in a police uniform waved at visitors. In another corner, self-driving patrol robots powered by artificial intelligence rolled across the floor. Cameras mounted on top of the robots scanned their surroundings, while monitors displayed AI-based video surveillance feeds.
Visitors streamed through the hall to inspect the advanced policing equipment. Drawing particular attention was the AI Safety Beacon, developed to prevent secondary collisions at traffic accident sites on highways and other roads. The mobile device, which weighs about 40 kilograms and resembles a police vehicle, uses AI to prompt oncoming vehicles approaching from behind a crash site to slow down. "It briefly accelerates toward an approaching car, then backs off once the vehicle slows down," a developer said, explaining how it works.
It takes the beacon only about 0.3 seconds from detecting an approaching vehicle to setting its wheels in motion. Developers have confirmed its braking effect in the 60 to 80 kilometer-per-hour range and are refining its performance with the goal of handling speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour. The upper and lower sections and the battery can be separated, allowing the unit to be carried in a police car trunk.
The exhibition brought together future policing technologies built on AI and other tools. The Korean National Police Agency and Incheon are hosting the 2026 International Police Industry Exhibition at Songdo Convensia for four days from the 21st through the 24th. Now in its eighth year, the exhibition features 245 companies from Korea and abroad operating about 880 booths.
Visitors moved through the hall to try out the advanced policing technologies firsthand. They examined self-driving patrol robots and AI video surveillance systems up close and watched the technologies in action. At some booths, visitors operated equipment themselves or joined demonstrations while listening to explanations from company staff.
This year's theme is "A New Era of K-Policing Opened by AI and Robotics." Physical AI, robotics, information security and AI startups are the core exhibition categories. Technologies on display for crime prevention and field response range from AI video analysis systems and self-driving patrol robots to policing drones, forensic equipment and cybersecurity tools.
The police agency is also running an evaluation session in which frontline officers assess the performance, safety and ease of use of AI patrol robots. The aim is to reflect the needs of actual policing operations from the development stage and to support the adoption of top-performing products.
A separate export consultation event is being held to help Korean policing companies expand overseas, with 82 foreign buyers invited from 31 countries. Also on the program are procurement consultations for public institutions, Incheon's closed-circuit television purchases, correctional facilities, and investment consultations for the national safety industry fund.
Discussions on international policing cooperation are also underway. The police agency is holding its first general assembly of an international cooperation body aimed at jointly countering emerging cross-border crimes such as scam operations. More than 40 academic conferences and seminars, including the SAFE AI Security Summit 2026, will address advanced policing technologies and cooperation measures.
Events for the general public include police fitness tests, hands-on sessions with police equipment and traffic safety gear, and a large-motorcycle police competition. On the 22nd, the 2026 Future Policing International Youth Short Film Festival will showcase 90-second videos in which young people present their views on the future of policing and safety.
"The International Police Industry Exhibition is an important event for identifying the advanced technologies that policing operations need and for supporting the growth and overseas expansion of Korean policing companies," said Park Hyun-soo, head of the Korean National Police Agency's Future Policing Policy Bureau. "We will work to ensure that excellent policing technologies are adopted in the field and lead to greater public safety, and that the K-policing industry grows into a future growth industry."