Humanoid robots expand into China's tourism and retail sectors

Robot manufacturers are increasingly entering the cultural tourism and retail sectors, deploying humanoid robots to enhance visitor experiences and automate service tasks. During recent holiday periods, robots have been utilized in theme parks, shopping malls, and retail outlets across China.

In theme parks like Chimelong Spaceship, companies such as Agibot (Zhiyuan) have deployed hundreds of robots to provide interactive games, science education, and performances. These robots can be customized in terms of voice, expression, and movement to suit specific park themes. In retail settings, robots are being used in ice cream shops, convenience stores, and automotive showrooms to greet customers, answer product inquiries, and perform tasks like food preparation.

While these machines offer novelty and emotional value, they currently face challenges regarding operational efficiency and flexibility compared to human workers. To bridge this gap, companies like JD.com are investing heavily in collecting massive amounts of human motion data to train embodied AI models. This data collection aims to improve the recognition, processing, and execution capabilities required for robots to handle complex real-world tasks more effectively.