‘Robo-cop’ rolled out to patrol streets of major city

There’s a new traffic officer operating in eastern China – but it carries no weapon, lacks the power to make arrests, and rolls on wheels.Standing 6ft 2in tall, the ‘robo-cop’ is currently deployed at a busy intersection in Hangzhou.The 217lb T2 robot was built by local technology firm SUPCON Information as part of a pilot scheme to relieve police officers of repetitive traffic-control duties. Using cameras, radar and onboard computing, it spots traffic violations including helmetless e-bike riders and pedestrians crossing against signals.Cao Hui, head of SUPCON's intelligent unmanned systems innovation centre, said that the machine also detects e-bikes carrying extra passengers and vehicles stopping over marked lines. It delivers polite verbal warnings and uses seven-jointed mechanical ar