Beijing: China is taking another step toward bringing humanoid robots into everyday public life, with robotic traffic officers now being tested on busy roads in the eastern city of Hangzhou.
The machines are not the armed and powerful robots seen in science fiction films. They cannot arrest people, issue punishments or physically stop offenders. Instead, they are being used to perform routine traffic duties that normally require human officers to stand for long hours on busy streets.
The T2 traffic robot, developed by Chinese technology company SUPCON Information, stands about 1.88 metres tall and weighs around 98 kilograms. Unlike many humanoid robots that walk on two legs, the traffic robot moves on wheels. It uses cameras, radar and onboard computing systems to observe what is happening around it and identify certain traffic violations.
The robot can detect riders who are not wearing helmets, electric bicycles carrying passengers, vehicles that cross marked stopping lines and pedestrians who cross roads when the traffic signal is against them. When it identifies a violation, it can issue a warning to the person involved.
The machine can also provide directions, answer questions about traffic rules and parking and help people contact the police during an emergency. Its mechanical arms can reproduce familiar gestures used by human traffic officers and coordinate their movements with traffic signals.
The technology has been tested in Hangzhou since May. About 15 robots have been deployed there so far. The company says the machines have issued more than 170,000 warnings and that some traffic violations in areas where they operate have fallen by more than 40 percent.
However, these figures come from the company and have not been independently confirmed. The effectiveness of the machines will therefore need to be assessed over a longer period as they operate in different traffic conditions.
One of the main advantages of the robots is that they do not become tired. They can remain at busy intersections for long periods and carry out the same duties repeatedly. The company says they can operate independently between about 7 in the morning and 6 in the evening, moving between designated positions without continuous remote control.
Human traffic officers can still monitor the machines through a central system and send them to particular locations when necessary. This means the robots are being presented as assistants rather than replacements for police officers.
The experiment in Hangzhou is also part of a much larger push in China to turn humanoid robots into practical working machines. The company says nearly 50 similar robots are already operating in around eight cities across three Chinese provinces. It expects the number to approach 200 by the end of this year.
Another Chinese robotics company, AiMOGA Robotics, which is backed by carmaker Chery, is also developing police robots. The company says around 110 of its humanoid police robots are already being used in Chinese cities for traffic control, crowd guidance and public safety campaigns.
The developments come at a time when China's robotics industry is expanding rapidly. At the World Robot Conference in Beijing this week, thousands of robotic products are being displayed, showing how Chinese companies are trying to move beyond demonstrations and introduce robots into factories, public spaces and other real world environments.
China's humanoid robotics industry is attracting significant investment as companies compete to develop machines that can perform useful tasks. Chinese firms are increasingly looking at areas where robots can take over repetitive or physically demanding work.
Traffic management is an attractive area because many duties are predictable. A robot does not need to make complicated legal decisions to remind a motorcyclist to wear a helmet or guide pedestrians across a road. Human officers can remain responsible for serious incidents and situations requiring judgment.
There are still important limitations. Cameras and radar can be affected by heavy rain, strong sunlight and extreme temperatures. Robots also need to correctly understand complicated situations involving people, vehicles and unexpected behaviour.
The companies are also looking at international markets. AiMOGA sees potential demand in parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where traffic officers can face extreme heat, heavy rainfall, pollution and other difficult working conditions.
But taking police robots overseas will not be simple. The machines would need to meet local safety standards, connect with police information systems and comply with privacy and data protection laws. Their cameras and other sensors could collect large amounts of information from public areas, creating questions about how that data is stored and used.
There is also the question of responsibility. If a robot incorrectly identifies someone as a traffic offender, authorities will need clear rules about who is responsible for the mistake.
For now, China's robotic traffic officers remain assistants to human police rather than replacements for them. But their growing presence shows how quickly robotics is moving from exhibitions and technology demonstrations into ordinary public services.
If the machines become more reliable and affordable, traffic control may only be the beginning. Similar robots could eventually be used for crowd management, public information, emergency assistance and other routine duties.
China's experiment therefore offers an early glimpse of a future in which robots may become a familiar presence on city streets, working alongside people rather than simply appearing in technology demonstrations.