China’s first dedicated robot traffic police squad has returned to the streets of Hangzhou following a major upgrade, more than four months after the 15-strong team began operations in the eastern city.
Footage released on Monday shows the robots directing traffic and pedestrians across the Zhejiang provincial capital, working alongside human officers at busy intersections. The machines can be seen instructing cyclists and motorists to stay behind stop lines at traffic lights.
“They are far smarter than when I first saw them before. They are bringing more benefits to ordinary citizens,” said a local resident, praising the upgrade.
Equipped with upgraded panoramic motion control and positioning technology, the robots can now turn freely at intersections, adjust their orientation as traffic conditions change, independently navigate different junctions and avoid obstacles.
The upgrade also boosts public interaction and autonomous patrol capabilities, allowing it to take on its independent patrols across key intersections in the capital.
Traffic police officer Han Qiuyue called the upgrade ‘substantial,’ saying the robot can now independently plan travel routes and dynamically avoid obstacles according to real-time road conditions.
“The upgraded robots can also autonomously adjust patrol duration based on on-site traffic order, gradually realising full-time autonomous patrol at key road intersections,” she added.
The squad officially began operations in May. Since then, the robots have provided more than 11,000 public services and issued over 230,000 reminders for traffic violations, according to Hangzhou traffic police.
Authorities say the robots work more than nine hours a day on average, taking on repetitive duties and allowing human officers to focus on emergencies and other public services.
Source: Viory
