Hangzhou debuts first robot traffic officer powered by AI

The streets of Hangzhou’s Binjiang district have a futuristic new addition: Hangxing No. 1, an AI-powered traffic-control robot. Developed under the directive of the Hangzhou Traffic Police Tactical Unit, the robot officially began its trial run on Monday, December 1, at a busy intersection on Binsheng Road.

Equipped with high-definition cameras and sensors, Hangxing No. 1 is designed to assist human officers by directing the flow of pedestrians and vehicles. According to Zhang Wanzhe of the Binjiang traffic police brigade, the robot performs standard traffic command gestures — such as "go straight" and "stop"— which were trained directly from the movements of real officers. It can also blow a digital whistle and is fully integrated with existing traffic-signal systems.

Beyond basic direction, the robot actively identifies violations in real time, including riders without helmets, vehicles crossing stop lines, and jaywalkers. If it detects an infraction, its intelligent voice system issues polite, immediate reminders to the rule-breakers.

The AI model is designed to improve through continuous learning at real intersections. While the robot currently focuses on traffic management, officials plan to upgrade it with LLM capabilities, enabling it to offer directions, safety education, and complex voice interactions. Although Hangxing No. 1's specific battery life was not disclosed, reports indicate that similar patrol robots deployed in other provinces typically operate for 6 to 8 hours on a single charge.