LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
There's a new sheriff in town. China's first-ever security robot has been hired at the Shenzhen airport. It's been making round-the-clock patrols through the departure hall of one of the terminals and getting photographed by curious travelers. Developed by China's National Defense University, AnBot weighs in at 171 pounds and stands just under five-feet-tall. And it looks like a more conical R2-D2. It has facial recognition technology and four high-definition cameras. It can snap pictures of travelers' faces and then send them to human co-workers for analysis. AnBot can also give you directions if you're lost, spot fires and monitor air quality, which is important in China. It can also reportedly respond to riots by emitting a non-lethal electric charge. AnBot is capable of speeds up to 11 miles per hour, about the maximum speed of a domestic pig. So slow-moving criminals beware - AnBot might catch you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.