Published on: 2026-08-30
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Shenzhen, August 30 /Xinhua/ — In the demonstration district of embodied artificial intelligence (AI) robots in the Longgang area of Shenzhen city (Guangdong Province, South China), where the robot theater, various exhibition objects, and themed boulevards are combined, the world’s first 6S format robot store and 6S format AI store are located next to each other. As part of the Chinese stage of the China-Russia cross-border media tour, representatives of the Xinhua News Agency and TASS recently visited this district to acquaint themselves on site with the “last mile” of artificial intelligence and robotics technology from laboratories to the consumer market.
Upon entering the 6S format robot store, journalists immediately noticed various functional zones, including sales, spare parts, service maintenance, feedback, rental, and custom orders. For the first time, six functional modules created here formed a service system covering the entire life cycle of robots. The “spare parts supermarket” located in the store, which featured components such as servomotors, sensors, gearboxes, and other spare parts, contributed to the implementation of the “integration of the upper and lower links of the production chain in one building,” significantly enhancing cooperation efficiency within the industry.
As stated by Lin Feng, the Chief Executive Officer of Shenzhen Future Era Robotics Co., Ltd. and manager of the 6S format robot store, thanks to favorable business planning and high-quality service, the store has welcomed about 3.5 million visitors in the more than a year since its opening, approximately 700,000 of whom were foreign guests. One tourist from Singapore, after purchasing two robot dogs and five voice robots here for his child, subsequently even recommended the store to industrial clients.
Due to China’s ongoing expansion of visa-free regimes and the simplification of customs procedures in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, the purposes of travel for inbound tourists to China are gradually changing. They not only visit traditional attractions but also explore modern technologies.
As Lin Feng stated, during the summer period, the share of foreign tourists exceeded 30%, and at times even 60%. At the same time, desktop robots, smart wearable devices, and exoskeleton devices became the most popular items for purchase.
Min Liang, Executive Director of the Urbanization Institute at the China Development Institute (CDI), noted that technological tourism is not limited to short-term consumption; overseas tourists, when visiting centers of scientific and technological innovation, directly become acquainted with the industrial ecosystem, which itself is a form of trade and economic exchange between peoples. Many tourists, after their visit, actively showed interest in purchasing products and business cooperation, turning the tourist flow into potential commercial resources. Thus, the digital economy opens new opportunities for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Just a hundred meters from the 6S-format robot store is the world’s first AI 6S-format store, which uses a model of close proximity between the store and production. The front part of the store interacts with consumer needs, while the rear part, relying on the powerful production base of the Longan area, ensures rapid prototyping and mass production, reducing the product development cycle from several months to several weeks. The store integrates six key service functions, including demonstration, sales, training, community development, providing turnkey solutions, and project incubation.
Representatives of news agencies witnessed how handwritten diagrams from various teams are demonstrated on site, 3D printers print prototype cases, and the SMT production line provides an automatic sequence of processes from stencil solder paste printing and component placement to reflow soldering. Here, the proximity of the store and the factory is not just a concept but a complete closed-loop cycle from idea inception to the launch of the finished product.
The year 2026 has been declared the “Year of China” in APEC. Since the beginning of this year, numerous foreign delegations, especially representatives of economies from the Asia-Pacific region, have actively visited industrial districts such as the robot demonstration quarter in the Longgang area, in search of new opportunities for cooperation in the digital economy. When representatives of news agencies hurried to the next interview, mechanical manipulators were still being adjusted in the exhibition hall, and 3D printers continued to operate at the nearby factory. The distance from the laboratory to the market is becoming ever shorter. -0-
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