China launches ‘world's first' humanoid robot mall that operates like a car dealership
The '4S' format means the mall offers sales, service, spare parts, and surveys (customer feedback), all under one roof. This is similar in format to car dealerships in China, except dedicated to all things humanoid.
According to reports, the mall will sell over 100 types of robots from up to 200 brands like Ubtech Robotics and Unitree Robotics. It is located within a four-storey building, located in Beijing's high-tech E-Town district.
Units on sale vary from small consumer gadget scale robots (priced at around 2,000 yuan or $278) to large, more sophisticated multi-million-yuan humanoid robots. The mall also features some showpiece robots, including a life-size Albert Einstein humanoid (worth about $97,000).
From robotic cooks to Einstein humanoid
Other interesting pieces on sale include robotic dogs, chess-playing bots, dancing machines, and animatronic historical figures like emperor Qin Shi Huang, Isaac Newton, and the renowned Chinese poet Li Bai.
The mall will also sell more practical robots for cooking, coffee-making, medicine dispensing, painting, basketball, obstacle courses, and more. Customers will also be served by robots at the mall's specialist robot-themed restaurant. Here, robot waiters will serve dishes cooked and prepared by robotic chefs.
The mall features an entertainment area where visitors can watch robot sports like soccer and track events. Consumers will also benefit from a dedicated area of the mall for spare parts and servicing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFtLm_XqZD0&pp=ygUSQmVpamluZyByb2JvdCBtYWxs
Visitors to the 'Robot Mall' are encouraged to test and interact with many of the products on display, making the experience closer to a tech playground than a traditional showroom.
The layout is designed to familiarize the public with robots as everyday companions rather than futuristic novelties, underscoring China's aim to normalize human-robot interaction in daily life.
A push to showcase China's soft-power ambitions
The timing, location, and heavy media coverage of the launch make it as much a showcase of China's soft-power ambitions as it is a retail venture, positioning the country as a leader not only in manufacturing robots, but also in marketing their lifestyle integration.
"If robots are to enter thousands of households, relying solely on robotics companies is not enough," Wang Yifan, a store director at the mall, told Reuters, emphasizing the need for tailored solutions for consumers.
According to reports, the development is part of a bigger push on the international stage for China, with the country investing heavily in AI and robotics to offset slowing economic growth and an ageing population.
To this end, Beijing sanctioned more than $20 billion in subsidies last year and is planning to set up a 1 trillion yuan (~$137 billion) fund to aid artificial intelligence and robotics startups.
The opening of the mall coincided with the 2025 World Robot Conference (August 8–12) and precedes the first World Humanoid Robot Games (August 14–17), to be held in the nation's capital.
In the wake of China's accelerated technological aspirations, U.S. robotics companies like Tesla and Boston Dynamics have urged the federal government to develop a national strategy to keep pace.
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