Forsyth County Sheriff Demonstrates University's Humanoid Robot, Explores Potential Law-Enforcement Uses

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr. demonstrated a humanoid robot on July 6, 2026, in Winston-Salem, showcasing its potential for law enforcement tasks and drawing intense community debate — 820 replies online — over local budget priorities and whether taxpayer dollars should fund such technology.

The robot is a Unitree G1 humanoid model, standing 4.3 feet tall and weighing 77 pounds, nicknamed Ralph Lauren by engineers. It is designed to assist with crime scene mapping, hostage negotiations, door breaching and other high-risk incidents. The robot can walk, run, press buttons, open doors and be teleoperated via virtual reality to mimic an operator's movements. It uses sensors to avoid obstacles and detect people, and is battery-powered with a charge lasting up to two hours.

Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina, said, "We can send the humanoid into that same situation and accomplish the same thing: hostage negotiations, breach the door, go inside the house, do all the talking and recording." Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina, said, "I can program it to do whatever I want it to do, hit buttons. As you saw, it started fighting, started dancing, and it talks. Any motion I want it to do, I can program it to do." Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina, said, "You can't push him down, and if he did fall down, he would hop back up." Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina, said, "It is coming to a town near you soon."

The Unitree G1 costs approximately $75,000. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office does not currently own the robot and has not committed to purchasing it. The robot belongs to the UNC School of the Arts' Center for Design Innovation, and the Sheriff's Office is partnering with Artificial Intelligence Robotics Arts R&D at the center to test the robot's capabilities. The Center for Design Innovation is a multi-campus research center founded in 2005 by UNC School of the Arts, Winston-Salem State University and Forsyth Technical Community College.

Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina, said, "Several months ago, we started talking about AI, artificial intelligence. And I found that they have what is known to them as AI robotic arts... And so with their AI robotic arts, they had what is called a humanoid that they wanted to present to us in order to find and develop case usage for it to future develop it for law enforcement." Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr., Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina, said, "It's an opportunity to where we could really pour into this project... And let's say, you know what, as a community, let's pour into the robotic AI at the school. Let's pour into this phase and see what can we do with this."

The Sheriff's Office is in the initial testing phase and has disclosed no budget allocation, purchase timeline, operating costs, training expenses or maintenance figures that would be required if Forsyth County taxpayers ultimately fund the robot.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved a $600.7 million budget for fiscal year 2026-27 on June 4, 2026. The approval followed tensions over law enforcement funding and accountability, with reports indicating the Sheriff's Office was on track to exceed its current-year budget by more than $1 million. Kimbrough publicly criticized the recommended FY 2026-27 budget as a status quo budget, highlighting ongoing disputes with county commissioners over spending controls and priorities.

Winston-Salem City Council held a public hearing on a proposed $700 million city budget in June 2026, and residents urged city leaders to direct more funding toward affordable housing, public safety and support for the local school system. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education outlined budget priorities in May 2026 requiring approximately $30 million in additional funding, including 48 exceptional children teachers, 40 support staff and case managers, 50 classified positions, nine assistant principals, a 3 percent pay increase for certain staff, $8 million for new language arts textbooks and $1 million for bilingual support. Forsyth County provided approximately $179 million in local funding to the schools in the 2026-27 budget, about $3 million more than the previous year.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners has budget oversight responsibilities for the Sheriff's Office and holds public hearings and comment periods on county spending. Winston-Salem and Forsyth County residents can press for transparency by attending county budget hearings, submitting public comments and demanding that commissioners require the Sheriff's Office to disclose full financial details and deployment timelines before any taxpayer funds are committed to the humanoid robot program.