Taipei City council has come under fire after admitting that a robot dog used for patrols was made by a Chinese company linked to the military. The robot, purchased to help manage and repair pedestrian areas, is equipped with surveillance cameras and can create 360-degree images.
Deputy Mayor Hammer Lee introduced the robot on Facebook, calling it a “new patrol partner”. He highlighted its ability to locate facilities and automatically report missing items. However, opposition councillor Chien Shu-pei later revealed the robot was made by Unitree, a Hangzhou-based robotics startup whose founder has met Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Chien accused the council of crossing “the red line of information and national security”, likening the procurement to sending a “Trojan horse” into citizens’ daily lives. A US congressional committee earlier this year flagged Unitree’s robots as “dual use” technology, used in both civilian and military contexts.
The council’s new works division stated it bought only one robot as a trial via a subcontractor, and that the camera system was developed by Taiwanese firm Supratech. It pledged to “prioritise clearing the security concerns before any further step is taken”.
Social media comments were fiercely critical, with one user saying the city government has “zero awareness on information security”. Taiwanese military commentator Wang Cheng-ming warned that mapping data gathered by the robot could be highly sought after by China’s military.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said the city and central governments would discuss the “innovative experiment” amid national security concerns.
