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Macau Police Caution Robot Operator After Humanoid Startles Elderly Pedestrian

The Unitree-model machine was on a promotional demo for a local education centre when the encounter went viral.

Overview

  • Police in Macau escorted a Unitree humanoid away after it stood close behind a 70-year-old woman on a narrow pavement near the Lok Yeung Fa Yuen complex in Patane last Thursday.
  • Video shows the woman confronting the robot before two officers arrive, with one placing a hand on the machine’s shoulder as they guide it from the scene.
  • Officers examined the device, returned it to a nearby operator in his 50s, and issued a caution to exercise greater care when using such machines in public spaces.
  • The woman reported nausea and a rapid heartbeat, was taken to hospital as a precaution, then discharged without injuries and declined to file a complaint.
  • A representative for the education centre said the Unitree G1 was following programmed instructions under remote supervision for a street promotion, and the footage has prompted renewed discussion on robot safety in public places.