Police robots target highway traffic violations in Beijing

On Monday, Beijing traffic police tested a highway patrol robot for handling traffic violations such as illegal parking and driving in the emergency lane, local authorities said.

The device was tested on the city's Airport Expressway. The luggage-sized robot, weighing around 20 kg, operated on the highway barrier at a speed of 5 km per hour. A fully charged battery can power the robot for between five and eight hours, according to a spokesman with the science and technology branch of the Beijing traffic police.

The robotic cop can capture images and videos of illegal parking and driving in the highway emergency lane, then send the evidence back to the police, the spokesman said.

In addition to handling highway traffic violations, the robot can assist traffic police with other routine work. Car accidents always cause traffic congestion, but they can't stop the robot from arriving at the site as soon as possible and sending back pictures to help its human counterparts handle the case.

It can also send a voice alert to vehicles in the event of highway congestion, car accidents, road maintenance and bad weather.

Beijing traffic police will use these robots on more highways in the city to strengthen crackdowns on traffic violations and ensure road safety.