A humanoid robot in Macau briefly became the centre of a bizarre scene after it startled a 70-year-old woman. Police escorted the Unitree G1 away, sparking viral memes about the “first robot arrest”.
What looked like a scene straight out of a science fiction thriller briefly played out on a quiet street in Macau when police officers were called in to deal with an unlikely suspect — a humanoid robot. The incident, captured on video and widely shared on social media, shows officers escorting a small robot away after it reportedly startled a 70-year-old woman who believed it was following her.
Elderly Woman Startled by Silent Robot
According to local authorities, the woman had stopped outside a residential complex around 21:00 local time to check her phone. When she turned around, she suddenly noticed the robot standing directly behind her.
Police said the robot had simply paused on the pathway, waiting for the pedestrian to move aside. But the unexpected presence of the machine left the woman shaken.
Footage circulating online shows the elderly woman shouting at the robot while waving her bag at it as the small machine repeatedly raises its arms in the air.
In the video, according to a translation by the Macau Post, the woman can be heard yelling:
“You’re making my heart race!”
She then continues:
“You’ve got plenty to do, so what’s the point of messing around with this? Are you freaking crazy?”
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Police Remove Robot From Scene
The clip then shows two police officers escorting the Unitree G1 humanoid robot down the road. One officer appears to guide the robot by holding its shoulder while walking it away from the area.
Authorities clarified that the robot was not formally arrested, but officers removed it from the scene and returned it to its operator — a man in his 50s.
The woman later told police she felt unwell after the encounter and was taken to hospital for a check-up. Doctors later confirmed there had been no physical altercation between her and the robot.
After receiving treatment, the unnamed woman said she would not file a complaint against the robot’s operator.
Robot Was Part of Promotional Activity
Authorities later revealed that the robot belonged to a nearby education centre that had been using it as part of a promotional campaign.
Towin Mak, a spokesperson for the centre, told local broadcaster Teledifusão de Macau (TDM) that the robot had been leaving the area when it encountered the elderly woman.
Mak explained that the machine was being guided by a combination of autonomous programming and remote supervision at the time.
The operator later apologised for the distress caused.
Robots Already Being Used in Policing
Although the Macau incident may have looked unusual, robots are already becoming part of law enforcement strategies around the world.
Professor Ivan Sun from the University of Delaware has previously predicted that robotic police officers could begin patrolling streets within the next five years.
These machines could eventually detect, pursue and apprehend suspects while working alongside human officers.
Several countries have already begun experimenting with robotic policing.
In Singapore, the Xavier robot patrols public areas and detects “undesirable social behaviours” such as smoking, alerting human officers when necessary.
China has also introduced security robots such as AnBot, which can conduct surveillance, verify identities and patrol transport hubs.
Elsewhere, including in the UAE, robots are already being deployed in more service-oriented roles such as greeting tourists or assisting visitors in multiple languages during large events.