China launches 'world's first' humanoid robot mall in Beijing

China has inaugurated what it calls the world’s first humanoid robot mall in Beijing’s high-tech E-Town district. Modeled after a car dealership’s 4S format—offering sales, service, spare parts, and customer feedback—the four-story mall exclusively sells robots to the public. It features over 100 robot types from around 200 brands, ranging from affordable consumer gadgets priced at about 2,000 yuan ($278) to advanced humanoid robots costing millions of yuan. The mall showcases diverse robots including life-size animatronic figures of historical and scientific icons like Albert Einstein, Qin Shi Huang, Isaac Newton, and Li Bai, alongside practical robots for cooking, medicine dispensing, sports, and entertainment. Visitors can interact with many robots and experience robot-served dining, emphasizing the integration of robots into everyday life. The launch serves both as a commercial venture and a strategic display of China’s ambitions in AI and robotics, aiming to normalize human-robot interaction and position the country as a