Liu Gangjun, the project director at Beijing Aerospace Automatic Control Institute, operates the robot, named Meibao, in Beijing's Meiyuan residential community. Source: Xu Keyue/GTA residential community in Beijing has a new employee to keep watch for suspicious behavior: a “robot watchman.”

Developed by the Beijing Aerospace Automatic Control Institute (BAACI), the robot called Meibao has been monitoring Beijing’s Meiyuan community for illegal activity using a combination of facial recognition technology, infrared thermal imagery and man-machine communication. Standing at 1.7 m tall, Meibao has cameras for eyes and a display on its chest. Using biological recognition, big data analysis, an inertial navigation system and an assortment of other technologies, Meibao can sound an alarm when a suspicious person appears in the community.

Replacing traditional night watchmen, the robot can also offer residents helpful information such as weather forecasts. It can also tell stories and play music.

The trial of Meibao began in December of 2018 and will last through April 2019, according to reports.

Automating jobs in China using artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and a variety of other technologies is nothing new. With predictions suggesting that at least half of current work tasks will be absorbed by AI by 2025, China is seemingly ahead of the curve employing robot news anchors and kindergarten teaching assistants. Similarly, China is also home to a popular restaurant chain with a kitchen operated almost entirely by AI.