A smart robot traffic police officer was put into use at bustling streets in Wuhu City of east China's Anhui Province on Saturday to participate in frontline traffic control and order maintenance.
At a key intersection of Wuhu City, a robot in a police uniform with a traffic police logo and a police officer number on its chest is cooperating with human traffic police officers on site to participate in traffic control and promote civilized travel.
The smart traffic police officer was fixed to a small mobile platform, which allows it to move to the designated position and direct traffic from all directions by platform rotation.
"I think it's very high-tech because it can move independently and also direct traffic in the middle of the road," said local resident Wang Ruohan.
With its functions focused on high-frequency needs in urban traffic management, this traffic police robot mainly carries out its training in four application scenarios: popularizing traffic regulations, coordinating traffic command at intersections, intelligently identifying and advising against uncivilized behavior, and automatically capturing and collecting evidence of violations.
By connecting to traffic lights and traffic management systems, traffic police robots can assist human traffic police in handling repetitive tasks during peak hours, making on-site law enforcement and services more efficient, according to traffic police officers.
"It can work closely with us human traffic police based on our traffic light system to autonomously direct traffic. While on duty in our area, it can also identify violations by non-motorized vehicles," said Jiang Zihao, instructor of the First Squadron of the Jiujiang Brigade of Traffic Management Detachment of the Wuhu Municipal Public Security Bureau.
First innovative robot traffic police officer put on duty in east China city
The recent 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing has impressed international guests with its focus on deeper integration of technological and industrial innovation, highlighting how China's innovative advances are reshaping daily life.
The five-day forum, themed "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation," wrapped up in Chinese capital on Sunday after bringing together more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries and regions around the world.
More than 560 cutting-edge achievements were unveiled at the event, ranging from embodied intelligent robots and brain-computer interfaces to breakthroughs in quantum applications and 6G research and development.
The venue for the forum also showcased a number of these innovative creations to visitors, who were able to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee prepared by a humanoid barista, as well as be throughly entertained by robots performing dances or even playing piano.
Given the presence of these advanced humanoid robots, international participants shared the common view that innovation is no longer confined to laboratories but is now permeating every aspect of daily life.
"The deepest impression is actually to see how much AI is across everywhere," said Anders Karlsson, vice president of Elsevier, a global leader providing advanced information and decision support to accelerate progress in science and healthcare worldwide.
"The Zhongguancun Forum has become a very international window on innovation. We can find out annually how innovation is driving [and a key] component of growth of this wonderful country," said Vincenzo Lipardi, president and co-founder of SPICI, an Italian company assisting businesses and startups with strategic consulting services.
"As a scientist and as a worker of the United Nations system, I'm really pleased to see integration of science, technology and sustainability," said Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.
One of the forum's key themes was around opening up and striving for greater cooperation, which demonstrated to the wider world that China's innovation aims to break down barriers and share opportunities, so as to enable the global community to advance together.
"It's my first time attending the forum. And I'm very surprised that you have a very high level of innovation. China is open to ideas. Openness is the way to make innovations," said Prof. Hussein Sherief, a member of the International Committee for Scientific and Technical Data (CODATA).
Int'l guests hail integration of technology, innovation at Beijing forum
