New Delhi: In a bizarre incident that has stunned passersby and sparked debate online, a humanoid robot was briefly detained by police in Macau after it allegedly frightened an elderly woman on a public street. The unnatural experience which was recorded on video depicts how the machine stalks the woman before she turns round to face the machine.

The woman, almost 70 years old and taking a moment to check her phone, looked physically traumatised as she saw the robot standing right behind her. The witnesses reported that she started to rebuke the machine in Cantonese, saying it was causing her distress. The situation was later intensified by police intervening to take the robot away and making the scene look even surreal.

The First Humanoid Robot Arrested by Police🤖👮‍♀️

One night in Macau, a citizen was taking a walk with his humanoid robot (Unitree G1).

A passing woman yelled at him (perhaps frightening her), essentially saying, “Why bother with this when there are so many other things to do?… pic.twitter.com/moCBhsDeRW

— CyberRobo (@CyberRobooo) March 7, 2026

What exactly happened on the street

Local reports indicated that the robot was on a promotional activity in the locality as a part of an education centre. The machine is said to have gotten near the back of the woman when she was distracted, and that is what made the alarming moment happen.

The footage shows that the robot lifted its arms twice when the woman screamed at it and declared that it had made her heart race. Soon there was a mass of people looking on as the fight took place and the police came in.

Was the robot really ‘Arrested’?

Although users of social media were joking that the world had seen the first arrested robot, the law enforcers made it clear that no actual arrest was made. All that was done was to bring the robot out of the scene and bring it back to its operator, who was close enough.

According to the operator, the robot was remotely supervised, but it was also based on programmed behaviour, as the operator was a 50-year-old man. He confessed that the scenario must have shocked the woman and went on to apologise. No injuries were reported when police issued him a warning.

Meet the robot behind the incident

The humanoid robot is thought to be a G1 prototype of Chinese robot manufacturer Unitree. The robot rises approximately 130 cm, has a weight of approximately 35 kilograms, and has an advanced orientation, such as a 360-degree perception camera and a number of joint motors to move flexibly.

The G1 is made to resemble the actions of a human being; thus, it can walk, run and do specific tasks. It has a battery duration of approximately two hours and is said to cost less as compared to some of the other humanoid robots offered at the moment.

This incident highlights the increasing presence of robots in everyday environments. Delivery bots, humanoid assistants, and others of this sort are increasingly becoming a part of cities all over the world.

According to the experts, the technology is evolving at a high rate, although people do not know of the future in terms of interaction with robots. Such incidences highlight the necessity of specific better guidelines and safer implementation since people and machinery will keep on sharing common grounds.