A smart vending vehicle loaded with drinks caught the attention of passersby at Beijing’s Chaoyang Park recently. The vehicle stopped automatically after being waved down by thirsty pedestrians.

The automobile is the second generation of its kind adopted by Chaoyang Park to provide intelligent services for tourists. It is about the height of a man and is equipped with sensors that allow it to move and stop automatically. The machine also has a facial-recognition system for payment.

Besides Chaoyang Park, the vehicle has appeared at the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition and Xiongan New Area in north China’s Hebei province.

Self-driving vehicles are an important indicator of a smart city. Shenzhen in south China, Jinan in east China and Zhengzhou in central China have all carried out road tests for unmanned vehicles.

Beijing has formulated implementation measures for the testing of autonomous vehicles. Shanghai has issued company licenses to test self-driving cars. Hangzhou and Chongqing have also rolled out policies to promote the application and commercialization of self-driving vehicles.