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.

The U.S. dollar closed almost flat in late trading on Monday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, went up 0.01 percent to 98.035 at 3 p.m. (2000 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro was down to 1.1767 dollars from 1.1777 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound added to 1.3507 dollars from 1.35 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 156.03 Japanese yen, lower than 156.50 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar advanced to 0.7896 Swiss francs from 0.7891 Swiss francs, and it increased to 1.3684 Canadian dollars from 1.3672 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar rose to 9.1802 Swedish kronor from 9.16 Swedish kronor.