Humanoid robot ‘arrested’ after startling elderly woman in Macau

The incident happened last week when the woman, who was walking while looking at her cellphone, suddenly realized a humanoid robot was behind her and became alarmed.

"You’re making my heart race!" the woman raged at the robot, as quoted by the New York Post. "You’ve got plenty to do, so what’s the point of messing around with this? Are you freaking crazy?"

Two police officers later arrived at the scene and escorted the robot away.

The Macau Post reported that "there was no physical contact" between the woman and the robot. She was nevertheless taken to a hospital for examination and was later released.

 

 

Humanoid robot ‘arrested’ after startling elderly woman in Macau

Humanoid robot ‘arrested’ after confronting elderly woman on the street

As footage of the encounter spread online, some social media users joked that the robot had been "arrested."

The robot was reportedly a G1 humanoid developed by Chinese robotics firm Unitree and belonged to an education center that had been using it for promotional activities, according to the South China Morning Post.

A representative from the center said the robot was operating through a mix of programmed actions and remote supervision.

Its operator at the time, a 50-year-old man, told police he was testing the robot to further improve its operation. He was subsequently warned by authorities to be more mindful of "endangering or frightening pedestrians."