The Unitree G1 robot, named Edward Warchocki, appeared in footage filmed at the naval port in Świnoujście, northwestern Poland.
The video promoted a naval parade scheduled for Saturday to mark Polish Armed Forces Day.
The controversy comes amid wider concerns about Chinese-made devices equipped with cameras, sensors and communications technology entering sensitive military facilities.
Unitree Robotics, based in Hangzhou, China, makes humanoid and four-legged robots.
In June, the US Department of Defense included the company on a list of entities it identifies as Chinese military companies, citing its links to China’s defense industrial base.
The navy removed the recording from its social media accounts on Tuesday after questions were raised about data that could potentially be collected by the robot’s cameras and other sensors.
'The robot did not move around the military unit'
Lt. Cmdr. Grzegorz Lewandowski, spokesman for the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla, which is based in Świnoujście, said the robot had been confined to a predetermined location and had no access to restricted areas.
"The robot did not move around the military unit," Lewandowski said. "It did not move independently around the naval port and had no free access to infrastructure or restricted zones."
He said the robot was delivered directly to the filming location, switched on there and kept under supervision throughout the recording. It was then switched off at the same location.
The site had been chosen to ensure the robot could not record protected information, Lewandowski added.
The section of the port visible in the video has previously appeared in official material and can also be seen from publicly accessible areas of Świnoujście.
"The recording involving the robot therefore did not expand the range of publicly available information about the facility," he said.
The navy said the unusual format was intended to promote the Armed Forces Day events among younger audiences and people who do not regularly follow official military channels. The recording generated no additional costs.
Edward Warchocki is a humanoid robot developed by China's Unitree Robotics company. Photo: Danuta Isler/Polish Radio
'Someone clearly lacked caution'
Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said on Wednesday that "someone clearly lacked caution," although he added that he did not believe anything "very bad" had happened in this particular case.
The Edward Warchocki robot has previously appeared at Polish public institutions.
In March, it was brought into the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, at the invitation of the far-right Confederation party as part of a discussion about automation and Polish law.
It has also appeared at an event organized by the Chinese embassy to promote Chinese technology and contacts with Chinese businesses.
The navy said it removed the promotional video because of the comments and speculation generated by the robot's appearance.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP