In the Chinese city of Hangzhou, trials have begun of the country’s first humanoid traffic officer, Hanxing No. 1. It manages traffic at a busy intersection using gestures, light signals and a digital whistle, interacts with the city’s traffic light system and records violations with the help of AI.
The robot does not punish people; instead, it politely reminds road users of the rules through a voice system. The device works autonomously for 6–8 hours and automatically goes to recharge. The data is transmitted directly to the police database, and the algorithms are regularly improved based on analysis of the traffic situation.
In the future, the robot is expected to gain voice-assistance functions: it will be able to suggest routes, answer questions and work in multiple languages.
