We all expected the giant-robot uprising to begin in Japan, but we were wrong.

According to Agence France-Presse, five towering robots now stand watch across Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, directing traffic in the crowded city of 9 million.

Spoiler alert: What follows very well may reveal plot details of Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Designed by Women’s Technology, an association of female engineers, two of the solar-powered sentinels have been on duty since 2013. They were joined this week by three more, named Tamuke, Mwaluke and Kisanga. Looking like they stepped out of a classic sci-fi manga or movie, the robots regulate traffic flow with red and green lights, and are equipped with cameras that send real-time images back to the police station.

They seem to be working, too, as five more Ultron sentries traffic robots have been dispatched to Katanga, in the southeast of the country.

“There are certain drivers who don’t respect the traffic police," taxi driver Poro Zidane told AFP. "But with the robot it will be different. We should respect the robot."

(via NPR)