A remarkable incident in China resembled news reporting from the future. Police had to intervene in a conflict between a human and a robot.
The incident took place in Macau, near a residential complex in the Patane district, according to the South China Morning Post. Authorities said an elderly woman was standing on a sidewalk, looking at her phone, when she suddenly noticed a humanoid robot behind her. It extremely frightened the resident, and in response, she started shouting and waving a bag at the offender.
The woman can be seen arguing with the robot in a video that went viral on social media.
Humanoid robot arrested after it reportedly harass an elderly woman on a public street in Macau pic.twitter.com/NjGkPGPK2A
— Viral Video News (@viralvideonews3) March 16, 2026
The situation also appears to catch the robot off guard, prompting it to raise its hands. Later, two police officers arrived and escorted the robot from the scene.
Although the woman was not injured, she was hospitalized due to severe fright. She was discharged later and decided not to file a complaint.
Users on social media started joking that the robot had been «arrested.» In reality, the police handed it over to its owner, a local man in his 50s. As it turned out, the humanoid is the property of an educational center that used it in advertising campaigns.
The campaign organizers apologized and pledged to be more attentive during future events.
