A new robotic traffic officer began its duty on the streets of Wuhu City in east China's Anhui Province on Saturday.
This domestically developed robot is now undergoing on-the-job training, participating in front-line traffic management and order maintenance.
At the intersection of Chizhushan Road and Huizhou Road in Wuhu, the robotic officer, wearing a white police cap and a traffic vest, was seen directing traffic with standard hand gestures.
It reminded passing vehicles of traffic rules and coordinated with on-site human officers to promote civilized road behavior.
"It looks just like a real person at first sight, while radiating a strong sense of technological sophistication. It serves as a deterrent to both drivers and helmet-less riders alike," said Zhang Xiaoping, a local resident.
The robotic traffic officer is equipped with six cameras and one light detection and ranging system, enabling it to perceive road conditions, avoid obstacles autonomously while moving, and transmit collected data to a backend system.
Currently, the robot is primarily undergoing training for application scenarios such as disseminating traffic regulations, assisting with intersection command and control, and intelligently identifying and advising against uncivilized behavior.
Robotic traffic officer on duty in east China's Anhui
More than 1,000 demonstrators took to the street in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to protest against the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minnesota earlier this week, as well as U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.
"And the brutality of ICE to shoot a woman in the head three times is appalling. And why we're allowing that, why is this happening in the United States? It's unbelievable. They're not taking just undocumented immigrants. They're taking everybody and they're asking questions later," said a protester who was only identified as Jonelle.
"[U.S. military striking on] Venezuela was completely wrong, completely wrong. Constitutionally, he had no right to do that. And the fact that the oil companies knew what he was going to do before even Congress or the military knew, just tells you everything you need to know," noted another protester, who was only named as Erin.
Analysts pointed out the protests reflect strong dissatisfaction among the U.S. public with the government's handling of both domestic affairs and foreign policy at present.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead on Wednesday by an agent of the ICE. The killing sparked outrage in the Democratic-led state and beyond, triggering protests and vigils aimed at ICE and federal immigration policy.
Protests erupt in Los Angeles against ICE, U.S. actions in Venezuela
