BEIJING - The traffic police of China's capital city has started testing a highway patrol robot that can handle traffic-related issues including illegal parking and driving in the emergency lane.

The robot is being tested on the city's Airport Expressway, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday (Oct 23).

About the size of a luggage and weighing around 20kg, the robot is mounted on and moves along the highway barrier at a speed of 5km per hour.

When fully charged, the battery in the robot can last five to eight hours, according to a spokesman from the Beijing traffic police, Xinhua reported.

The robot can capture images and videos of illegal parking as well as illegal driving in the highway emergency lane. These images and videos are then sent back to the police for necessary action and enforcement.

In addition, the robot can help with other routine work, such as taking photos of traffic accidents and sending them back to the headquarters. This will assist the police in the deployment of resources to the accident scene, according to Xinhua.

More of such robots will be deployed to other highways in Beijing to help police crack down on traffic violations and ensure road safety, the news agency added.