- City deploys robot traffic officers at scale during major sporting event
- The move signals expanding real-world adoption of AI governance systems in China
A yellow-clad robot raises its mechanical arm at a busy intersection near Hangzhou’s West Lake on Sunday morning, whistling and signaling vehicles to stop as thousands of runners streamed past.
This is not a scene from a sci-fi movie; it marks the first time AI-enabled robotic traffic officers were deployed at scale during a major marathon event in China.
At the 2026 Hangzhou West Lake Half Marathon on March 22, which drew more than 27,000 participants, local police rolled out an unspecified number of AI-powered traffic management robots across key junctions along the race route.
These robot officers, standing on wheeled chassis, used voice prompts and gesture-based commands to coordinate road closures, rerouting and crowd safety in real time.
The rollout represents a new phase in large-event security management, with Hangzhou authorities integrating robotic systems into live traffic command rather than limited pilots or demonstrations.
Developed under the cooperation between the city’s traffic police and Zhejiang Supcon Information Co, Ltd, a local technology firm, the robots are designed to synchronize with traffic signals while analyzing road conditions through onboard vision systems.
Known as “Hangxing No.1,” each robot stands about 190 centimeters tall and can execute standardized directing motions — including “stop and go” signals.
Meanwhile, it can detect violations such as helmet noncompliance, illegal stopping and unsafe pedestrian crossings, issuing spoken reminders to road users.
Officials say the marathon marked the technology’s first large-scale, coordinated use in a complex public event, highlighting how embodied AI is beginning to shift from demonstration scenarios into everyday urban governance.
Moving forward, Hangzhou traffic police plan to establish a dedicated robotic traffic management unit, gradually deploying the systems across the West Lake scenic area, Qianjiang New City, school zones and major event venues, aiming to enable large-scale, routine adoption, the local Hangzhou Daily Newspaper reported on December 2.
Hangzhou has emerged as China’s first city to systemically roll out AI traffic robots, moving from trial deployments in districts such as Binjiang and Xiaoshan since December 2025 to routine operations.
Other cities such as southern China’s Shenzhen and Huzhou, also in Zhejiang, followed suit and deployed robots to patrol alongside human officers and direct traffic.
