Woman hospitalized after being scared by a humanoid robot:

A woman on a night walk in Macau was briefly hospitalized after a humanoid robot startled her and left her feeling unwell, police told News on Wednesday.

Police said they had received a call for help for the woman, who “was shocked when she suddenly noticed a robot behind her while she was using her mobile phone.”

A video widely shared online showed a woman angrily confronting a robot that was waving its metal arms at her, as a crowd of onlookers gathered around her.

“With so many other things to do, why bother? Are you crazy?” —the woman shouted at the imperturbable robot in Cantonese, while making an agitated gesture towards him.

“You’re making my heart race!” the woman added, according to the Macau Post.

The woman suffered no injuries and there was no physical contact with the robot, but she required hospital treatment, police said in a statement.

“She has since been discharged and has not filed charges for the incident,” which took place earlier this month, according to the statement.

Videos on social media showed officers taking an abandoned robot, although police stressed that they “did not seize” the robot.

The robot was operated by a Macau man in his 50s, who said he was conducting a test and intended to use it to promote his business.

Police said they reminded him to remain alert while operating the robot to “avoid causing danger or alarm” to bystanders.

The robot in the images looked like a humanoid model manufactured by Chinese startup Unitree.

The robot belonged to an educational center that carried out promotional activities in the area, according to the Macau Post. The center’s director, Mak Kin Choi, told public broadcaster TDM that he accompanied the woman to the hospital and accompanied her home early the next day, the Macau Post reported.

Mak said that similar promotional activities with robots have been carried out recently in other areas and have received positive feedback, the outlet reported.

Beijing has encouraged domestic companies to develop humanoids, hoping to lead the global robotics industry.

These increasingly dexterous robots have proven capable of performing choreographed dances, participating in races, and even performing backflips.

But fully automated robots remain rare, and the most impressive displays are pre-programmed or operated remotely.