Beijing deploys 72 robot ‘employees’ across city parks amid high temperatures

Beijing has deployed 72 robot “employees” across 14 municipal parks this summer, assigning them tasks ranging from cleaning and security patrols to guided tours and pest control amid high temperatures, state-run Global Times reported Wednesday.

At the Summer Palace, cleaning robots equipped with lidar and sensors can begin operating within 30 seconds after sanitation workers define their working areas and select cleaning modes through a mobile application.

The machines can sweep litter, spray water, clean along edges and automatically adjust their cleaning intensity depending on the amount of waste detected. They are also designed to avoid pedestrians and vehicles.

The park has also introduced robotic tour guides that provide information along preset routes, answer visitors’ questions and remind crowds to maintain order.

At Yuyuantan Park, 11 robots are currently operating, including a 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) patrol robot equipped with more than 10 artificial intelligence models, radar and cameras.

The robot can identify behaviors such as smoking and issue prerecorded voice reminders.

Zizhuyuan Park, meanwhile, has deployed mosquito-catching robots that simulate carbon dioxide from human breath to attract insects.

The robot program dates back to 2024, when Beijing established its first “robot + landscaping” pilot project at Yuyuantan Park.

Over the past two years, 23 robotic devices from 18 companies have undergone field testing there, with successful technologies gradually expanded to other parks.

Newly deployed aquatic weed-removal robots can also cut, collect, drain, transport and unload vegetation while operating remotely or autonomously.

Authorities plan to integrate operational data from robots across the parks to improve monitoring and expand the use of robotics in urban landscaping and park management.