Robots help enforce health safety in Shenzhen

"Police remind you to scan the QR codes and register your information for quick passage. Thank you for your cooperation," said Huang Tiantian, a robot working at an expressway exit toll station in Bao'an district of Shenzhen, South Guangdong province.

As the first robot with actual combat capability applied at a police station, Huang is good at accurate facial recognition, AI voice interaction and intelligent learning. In the fight against the novel coronavirus, Huang acts as a traffic guide on the front line.

Shenzhen is a large city with a huge number of migrants. Currently, 97 percent of infected persons in the city are coming from the epidemic centers.

To deal with a travel peak for returning to the workplace while curbing the virus' spread, the municipal government has dispatched traffic police, disease control and prevention staff, and grassroots civil servants to jointly conduct quarantine and inspection of vehicles entering the city, 24 hours a day.

"Huang's post, the traffic guidance area, requires four police officers on duty around the clock. Now it can tirelessly handle the post with high efficiency," said Xie Xueliang, an public security bureau officer in Bao'an.

While Huang is working, its robot colleague, a patrol robot, is dedicatedly making its rounds. In addition to remote communication and code scanning registration, the patrol robot has six cameras that can automatically monitor people's temperatures as long as they are within its monitoring scope. Therefore, drivers don't have to stop a car and wait in line to get their temperatures checked.

In addition, the Bao'an police put drones on duty, as well. If people gather or do not wear masks, the drones can record it immediately and transmit real-time video. Then, the police on duty can directly issue a warning through the drone. "Robots on duty reduce the risk of cross infection caused by close contact between people, which is a good thing for the police and citizens," said a local resident surnamed Xiao.