Mainland embodied AI firm Galbot opens first autonomous retail stores in HK

Mainland embodied artificial intelligence company Galbot has introduced its first batch of three fully autonomous robotic retail stores in Hong Kong under the brand "GalbotStore," marking the first step in the company’s long-term expansion ambition across the city.

Each store is operated by a humanoid robotic store manager named "Xiao Gai," which functions autonomously without human teleoperation.

Powered by autonomous perception and real-time decision-making capabilities, the robot independently receives orders, retrieves products, and delivers items to customers while engaging in spoken conversation throughout the transaction.

Wang He, founder and chief technology officer of Galbot, noted that the company plans further to broaden its embodied AI footprint across Hong Kong, exploring initiatives such as robotic tennis training courts and tech literacy programs.

He emphasized that the autonomous retail store represents only one initial application scenario, expressing ambitions to establish a lasting presence in Hong Kong and expand into pharmacies, industrial environments, and households. 

During the launch event for the GalbotStore, Galbot also showcased several of its robotic models, including the Galbot ET1, which debuted at the World Robot Conference in August, and the industrial heavy payload model, the Galbot S1.

Wang revealed that the Galbot S1 has already secured thousands of orders from major global enterprises, including CATL and Siemens, with hundreds of units already deployed and operational in field applications.

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