Six Humanoid Robots Run a 24-Hour Store in Shanghai
Six humanoid robots ran a busy convenience store for 24 hours in Shanghai, brewing coffee, cleaning tables, and serving hundreds of customers.
Imagine walking into your neighbourhood shop to buy a quick snack, only to be greeted by a metal assistant wearing a staff badge! Between 2 and 3 November 2026, Chinese robotics company AgiBot deployed six humanoid robots in a store in Shanghai’s Xuhui district. The robots took charge of a fully operational convenience store for a complete 24-hour work shift.
The test kicked off at 10:00 a.m. on 2 November and wrapped up at 10:00 a.m. the following day. Over the course of the round-the-clock experiment, more than two million viewers worldwide tuned in to watch the live video broadcast. The robotic crew completed 1,730 tasks and served 683 real human shoppers.
What happened?
Each robot had its own uniform badge and a dedicated job. A robot named Kasha worked as the store barista, carefully brewing 147 cups of coffee for customers. An order assistant called Huobao handled 369 package collections and deliveries, while a food server named Dingjiang handed out 126 warm meals.
Keeping the convenience store neat was another big responsibility. A stocking robot called Juanwang completed 277 aisle inspections and shelf-restocking runs to keep items in order. Meanwhile, a cleaning robot named Lengjie wiped down tables 128 times to ensure the eating areas stayed tidy.
To make sense of their environment, the machines relied on AgiBot’s GO-3 artificial intelligence foundation model and a system called the Genie Master embodied framework. These smart programmes allowed the robots to understand visual clues, steer through busy aisles, and adapt to changes around them.
The shift was not simple, as shoppers and evaluators gave the robots tricky tests. They placed obstacles directly in walkways and asked the bots to distinguish between regular and sugar-free soda cans. In the end, four of the six robots passed their evaluation, and scientists are using the collected data to build even better retail helpers.
Why does it matter to you?
Whether you walk to your corner kirana shop for biscuits or visit a large supermarket with your family, retail stores are busy places with lots of moving parts. Seeing machines work safely in a real shop shows how science fiction is becoming part of daily life.
For children who love building, coding, or science, this real-world test proves that robotics is not just for factories or laboratories. Watching robots navigate surprise barriers and tidy up spills can inspire you to imagine new gadgets that assist humans with tiring everyday chores.
Words to know
- Humanoid robot: A machine built with a physical structure resembling a human, typically having a head, arms, and legs.
- Barista: A trained person, or in this case a machine, who prepares and serves coffee drinks.
- Livestream: A video broadcast sent over the internet in real time as the event happens.
- Foundation model: A powerful artificial intelligence programme trained on vast amounts of data to handle many different tasks.
- Obstacle: An object that blocks a path and makes moving forward difficult.
Did you know?
The six robots in Shanghai worked without taking a single nap, successfully assisting 683 real customers during their 24-hour shift!
Think about it
If your local grocery shop had a robot assistant, which chore would you want it to do first? Would you feel comfortable ordering a snack from a machine rather than a human shopkeeper?
Quick quiz
How many cups of coffee did robot barista Kasha brew during the 24-hour shift?
- 126 cups
- 147 cups
- 277 cups
See the answer
147 cups
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
