Two visitors are driven around Mingqing Street on a robot segway in the Ancient City of Pingyao, Shanxi province, Feb 24. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The Ancient City of Pingyao, a UNESCO world heritage site with a history dating back to some 2,700 years ago, has recently put 26 robot guides into service.

The robot guide's front part is in the the shape of a robot and the rear part is designed as an electric Segway that can load people weighing less than 200 kilograms. It can work as a tour guide, especially for night tours, and search answers online for visitors.

In addition, the robot guide is equipped with an anti-collision system and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. When it detects that it is less than 50 centimeters away from other visitors, the robot will pause and avoid the collision. The service will be suspended when the scenic area is overcrowded.

Currently, all robot guides are in service on the pedestrian streets in the Ancient City of Pingyao with a running speed of around 6.4 kilometers per hour.

The robot guides are available to be rented for a fee. The charge is 24 yuan each for half an hour. For more than half an hour, the fee is 0.8 yuan per minute. Visitors can rent them at the exits of pedestrian streets.