SINGAPORE: From Hangzhou to Shenzhen to Xinjiang, “robo-cops” took to the streets over China’s five-day May Day break to direct traffic and detect rule infractions in busy areas, as millions of people travelled across the country.
Part of a national push to deploy advanced robotics in all aspects of public life, this is the latest showcase of China’s burgeoning humanoid robotics industry.
Since May 1, a squadron of 15 wheel-mounted humanoid traffic robots had been stationed at major intersections in the southern tech hub Hangzhou, including those around the scenic West Lake.
Painted in fluorescent yellow, they were seen in online videos issuing verbal warnings to cyclists and e-scooter riders who had crossed stop lines.
Reporters and curious passers-by were also able to interact with these AI-powered robots by speaking and using a touchscreen to ask for directions, make inquiries or lodge a police report.
While robot traffic cops are not new in China, Hangzhou’s newest group of lawmen are said to be the first robot traffic police squadron in the country.
Over a span of three days, the robots issued a total of 11,897 warnings for a variety of traffic violations – one every minute and 43 seconds, Hangzhou Daily reported.
“The robots’ verbal reminders are objective and direct, so people are more willing to accept them,” police officer Chen Sanchuan told the local newspaper. “The results are even better than with human officers.”
According to the Hangzhou Traffic Police, the robots are synchronised with the traffic light system, allowing them to issue clear commands for drivers and pedestrians to stop, turn or go.
Able to operate continuously for eight to nine hours a day, the humanoid machines have been touted as a productivity boon by the local authorities as they free up police personnel to focus on more complex duties, especially during periods of high traffic.
A Hangzhou Public Security Bureau official told state broadcaster CCTV that the plan is to integrate these robots into regular duty schedules after the holiday period is over.
Other Chinese cities have also tapped the five-day May Day break in China to trot out their own “robo-cops”.
Kashgar, in the Xinjiang autonomous region, and Ordos, in Inner Mongolia, started deploying their own humanoid robot traffic controllers on May 1 too, Xinhua News Agency reported.
In Shenzhen, the latest humanoid robots manufactured by Chinese firm EngineAI joined a SWAT team on patrol, resulting in videos of the aptly named T800s – a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the Terminator movie franchise – being shared widely on social media.
Over the past year, major cities, including Shanghai and Chengdu, have also begun to use humanoid robots in daily policing duties.
China is the dominant player in humanoid robotics today, accounting for 90 per cent of global shipments in 2025, according to global technology market research and consulting firm Omdia. Morgan Stanley says this market could surpass US$5 trillion (S$6.4 trillion) by 2050.
However, while such robots are increasingly stepping into real-life roles, there is still a gulf between what the technology can do at present and what Chinese policymakers have envisioned.
Observers have said that the real test is whether these robots can deliver on more mundane functions, such as serving coffee or doing household chores, as this is key to the technology’s commercial viability.
An April 30 report by the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics), a German think-tank, noted that Chinese humanoid robots still struggle with multi-step coordination, fine manipulation and hand-eye coordination tasks.
For instance, a pop-up cafe in Beijing manned by a humanoid robot was only able to dispense hot beverages from a coffee machine, and required a human to help add ice cubes for an iced latte, The Straits Times reported in February.
To further China’s position as a leader in the field, the government has made robotics and embodied AI a strategic priority in its 15th Five-Year Plan, which charts the nation’s socioeconomic development until 2030.
Embodied AI refers to the integration of artificial intelligence into physical systems so that they can understand and interact with their environments and adapt their behaviour.
Merics said China’s humanoid robots are still mostly pre-programmed or tele-operated, and seldom act autonomously. It added: “Moving up from test beds and localised applications to large-scale AI embodiment is where the major challenge will lie.” - The Straits Times/ANN
