Robot traffic officer goes on duty in China's Zhejiang

A futuristic robot traffic officer has been deployed on duty in the eastern Chinese tech hub of Hangzhou City, directing pedestrians and vehicles using artificial intelligence-powered operations.

The AI traffic management robot "Hangxing No.1," developed under the leadership of Hangzhou Traffic Police Tactical Unit (TPTU), made its debut on the streets of the capital city of Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday, marking the start of its trial run.

The robot is equipped with high-definition cameras and sensors, capable of capturing common traffic violations in real time and reminding pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles passing by to abide by traffic rules through an intelligent voice system.

"I just crossed the line less than half a meter when it alerted me. It responded promptly," said a pedestrian.

"When you see it, you will subconsciously stop at the waiting line like this. I think it's quite useful. It can save some police force costs. I believe it will be a trend in the future," a motorcyclist said.

Beyond identifying traffic violations, the Hangxing No. 1 can also synchronize with the signal lights to assist human officers in traffic guidance and order maintenance. Its flexible mobility enables rapid deployment across different intersections, enhancing traffic management efficiency.

"It now operates in two modes -- directing in the middle of the road and guiding at intersections," said Zhang Wanzhe, a police officer.

Currently, the AI traffic management robot is in the pilot phase. In the future, it is expected to be equipped with a large language model to provide convenient services such as voice interaction and command control.

Robot traffic officer goes on duty in China's Zhejiang

Even under assumptions that the U.S.-Israel war on Iran does not persist past April and that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually resumes, the world will face the pressure of rising oil prices throughout this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday.

In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook released on Tuesday, the EIA raised the forecast of Brent crude oil spot price for 2026 to 96 U.S. dollars per barrel from the previous forecast of 79 U.S. dollars a barrel.

Retail gasoline and diesel prices will continue the rising trend this year, said the outlook.

The outlook maintains a risk premium on crude oil prices throughout the forecast period, as the EIA expects uncertainty around future supply disruptions to keep prices above pre-conflict levels.

"Once flows through the Strait of Hormuz resume, we assume it will take time to resolve the backlog and disruption to oil tanker routes and trade flows and that the potential for future disruptions will remain at risk and create a premium in the oil price," it said.

US Energy Information Administration forecasts rising oil prices throughout 2026