Humanoids, robodogs, and drones deployed at China's Hefei metro

China’s Hefei metro network has launched the country’s first full-scale “robot cluster” system, integrating humanoid robots, four-legged robodogs, and drones to assist across stations, trains, and underground infrastructure. This coordinated AI-driven platform operates in three main areas: providing intelligent passenger services within stations, conducting vehicle inspections, and performing tunnel inspections. Humanoid robots help passengers with directions, robodogs patrol platforms for safety monitoring, and autonomous inspection robots scan mechanical components beneath trains using high-definition cameras and ultrasonic sensors. This system significantly reduces inspection times by quickly identifying cracks, loose parts, or abnormalities that would otherwise take hours to detect manually. The Hefei deployment exemplifies China’s broader push toward practical robotics applications in public infrastructure, emphasizing utility-driven systems for inspection, logistics, and surveillance. While humanoid robots have gained public attention, much of the country’s progress focuses on enhancing operational efficiency and safety in transport and urban management through robotics, including drones for traffic monitoring and autonomous delivery robots.