China's first robotic traffic police squad in Hangzhou completes upgrade and hits the streets
Technology is changing the face of cities, but its main task is to serve people. When robots take on routine monitoring and help maintain order, police have their hands free for more important tasks, and streets become safer and more convenient for everyone.
China's first robotic traffic police squad, deployed in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in eastern China, has completed a comprehensive functional upgrade after its official launch in early May this year. Now, working on city roads, the upgraded robots provide significant improvements in public interaction, autonomous patrolling and human-machine joint traffic management, making urban traffic management more intelligent and efficient.
Early in the morning on Jiangnan Avenue in Hangzhou, robots conducted scheduled patrols at several intersections. The smart devices autonomously patrol checkpoints, preventing non-motorised vehicles from stopping outside the markings and reminding pedestrians to cross the street safely. "I live nearby. I just passed by and saw these robots patrolling back and forth at every intersection. They are much smarter than when I saw them before. They bring more benefits to ordinary citizens," said a local resident.
Traffic police representatives said previous robots operated with fixed patrol angles and could only monitor one direction at intersections, leaving "blind spots" in traffic management. The new robots, equipped with panoramic traffic control, can flexibly adjust their orientation in real time depending on the on-site road situation, ensuring precise guidance. "The robots have achieved significant improvements in positioning accuracy and the versatility of autonomous navigation. They can independently plan movement routes and dynamically avoid obstacles in accordance with real-time road conditions. At the same time, they strictly follow traffic light signals when crossing pedestrian crossings. The upgraded robots can also autonomously adjust patrol duration depending on the on-site traffic order, gradually introducing round-the-clock autonomous patrolling at key intersections," said Han Qiuyue, a traffic police officer.
Data from the Traffic Management Department of the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau showed that since the robots were put into operation on May 1 this year, the robotic traffic squad has provided more than 11,000 services to the public and prevented more than 230,000 traffic violations by drivers and pedestrians. The intelligent patrol system has reduced the burden on police personnel by 30–50 percent during peak hours at key intersections.
As reported by CCTV+, the upgrade of the robotic traffic police in Hangzhou demonstrates how technology makes urban management more efficient and people-oriented, reducing the burden on officers and improving road safety.
