There’s a new robot store in Beijing selling everything from robotic butlers to human replicas of Albert Einstein. Over 100 varieties of products will be sold at Robot Mall, which opened in the Chinese capital on Friday. The store is among the first in the country to market humanoid and consumer-focused robots.
The store has been likened to a car showroom because it provides services such as sales, spare parts and maintenance. China has invested significantly in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics as it seeks to address issues such as slowing economic growth and an ageing population.
“If robots are going to find their way into thousands of homes, depending solely on robotic firms is insufficient,” Wang Yifan, the director of a store, said at Reuters. The available robots have prices ranging from 2,000 yuan ($278, £207) to several million yuan.
Guests will have the chance to interact with a vast assortment of robots, such as dogs and chess players, organisers said. There is also a special area providing replacement parts and robot maintenance services. Robot Mall is situated beside a themed restaurant, where guests are served by robots and the meals are prepared by mechanical chefs.
China has increasingly made the robotics sector a priority, with subsidies exceeding $20bn in the last year. The government is also preparing a 1 trillion yuan fund for AI and robotics startups. The launch of Robot Mall coincides with the beginning of the five-day World Robot Conference, which began in Beijing on Friday.
Chinese state media reported that this year’s event will host over 1,500 entries from more than 200 domestic and foreign robotic firms. Beijing also readies itself to stage the first World Humanoid Robot Games from 14 to 17 August. Competitors from over 20 nations will take part in events such as track and field, dance and football.
