New Embodied AI Era: How Drones and Robots Are Redefining Daily Life in China

China is racing ahead with “embodied AI”—physical robots and drones that interact with the world. From airborne food deliveries to humanoid half‑marathons, this wave of innovation is reshaping everything from park strolls to factory floors.

Drones Deliver, Robots Dance

On a rainy afternoon in Shenzhen’s Central Park, Meituan’s delivery drones hover in to drop off rice noodles and bubble tea—no human in sight. The city’s “low altitude economy” is booming, with local regulators fast‑tracking drone rules. Meituan aims to beat human couriers by 10%, even if your char siu pork arrives a bit cold.

Meanwhile, at Beijing’s Spring Festival gala, Unitree’s humanoid robots stole the show with a choreographed dance. On the outskirts of the city, humans and robots went head‑to‑head in the world’s first humanoid v human half‑marathon. Reinforcement learning now lets robots train in months, not years—meaning the pace of innovation is only quickening.

From Robot Dogs to Surveillance Buggies

Walk the streets of Shanghai and you might spot a robot dog carrying groceries, or a camera‑equipped buggy silently cruising park paths. In Yiwu’s markets, children play with toy robot pets as traders haggle. At the Boao Forum, robotic arms flipped jianbing pancakes—though crispy perfection still eludes them.

China’s robotics supply chain excels at building bodies and applications, but “brains”—the AI that masters human movement—were lagging. That changed when DeepSeek’s open‑source R1 model matched top Western language models at a fraction of the cost. Now domestic firms can train humanoid robots without U.S. chip imports, levelling the playing field.

Balancing Hype and Reality

Despite the fanfare, true replacement of human workers is still limited. Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis operate only in select districts—and waits can top 20 minutes, while a human‑driven taxi arrives in four. Promised “robocops” remain unseen. Yet with exports under pressure and consumer demand soft, local leaders are banking on embodied AI as China’s next growth engine. Tech bosses once sidelined are now back in Xi’s good graces, invited to Beijing to signal a new era of innovation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is “embodied AI”?
Embodied AI refers to robots and drones that combine artificial intelligence with physical bodies—enabling them to perceive, learn, and act in the real world, from delivery drones to humanoid robots.

Q2: How are these technologies used in daily life?
Common applications include unmanned food deliveries, robotic companions like dog‑robots, surveillance buggies in parks, robotic arms at events, and limited autonomous taxis in certain cities.

Q3: What challenges must China overcome?
Key hurdles include training data scarcity for robot movement, achieving enough degrees of freedom (up to 60 for human‑like motion), cooling and power demands, and ensuring reliable performance to match or exceed human workers.

Sources The Guardian