China’s first-ever 7S humanoid robot store officially opened for business in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, as two 1.3-meter-tall humanoid robots sprang to life, twisting and turning in perfect sync to a rhythmic beat. Much like the automotive 4S shops, this novel concept aims to be a one-stop hub. But instead of cars, it focuses on humanoid robots. The 7S model builds on the traditional automobile 4S concept, namely sales, service, spare parts and surveys, by adding solution, show and school functions, thereby covering the entire industry chain from components and whole machines to scenario-based applications. Since opening in November 2025, this store in Wuhan, run by the Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, has become a landmark shopping mall in the Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, also known as “Optics Valley of China”, a tech hub in Hubei.
China’s humanoid robot industry saw significant growth throughout 2025, backed by national and local government mid-to-long-term plans targeting it as a strategic sector. The 7S store represents a pioneering step in exploring viable commercial models and market acceptance for this transformative technology. “In nearly two months, we’ve received approximately 18,000 visits, becoming a popular tech destination in Wuhan for both locals and tourists,” said store manager Hu Longdan. “Cumulative revenue has reached almost CNY615,000. Humanoid robots are very popular for rentals, having served 10 plus commercial events, while experience projects featuring robot dogs and robot soccer have become major attractions for the youth,” Hu said. Inside the bustling store, robots of various sizes and shapes demonstrate their capabilities: some play soccer, others serve as retail assistants, while another group plays musical instruments. “We have 17 different models of humanoid robots here, priced from CNY149 to CNY700,000. They can be deployed in over 10 scenarios including industrial manufacturing, cultural tourism guidance, elderly care, and special operations,” said Hu.
China has intensified its efforts to foster future industries like embodied AI, as outlined in the proposals for the formulation of the country’s 15th Five Year Plan (2026-30). The goal is to cultivate new economic growth engines through technological innovation and market exploration. The 7S store in Wuhan is part of a national wave of robot-themed retail experiments to promote real-life application of humanoid robots, a key phase for the development of the industry. A think tank report forecasts that by 2045, China will have over 100 million humanoid robots deployed across industries, creating a total market value of approximately CNY10 trillion. In July last year, a 6S robot store, said to be the world’s first, opened in Shenzhen, a tech hub in Guangdong province.
A month later, Beijing’s Robot Mall, a 4,000-square-meter 4S robot showroom, debuted during a robot consumption festival, featuring more than 50 products spanning medical, industrial and companion robotics. The Wuhan store, notably, features a schooling function, addressing the “last mile” of skill development, thus standing out when compared to its peers. This means the Wuhan store is not just a sales venue, but also a “hands-on experience center” offering interactive engagement and skills enhancement. Staff members highlight that the store provides robotics operator training, maintenance technician certification and introductory courses for teenagers. In addition, corporate engineers can acquire practical skills in operating and maintaining humanoid robots on-site, while middle school students can learn programming and logic through hands-on activities. “We’ve held over 20 sessions, including eight operator training sessions, 12 youth courses and two teacher training events, involving over 1,000 participants,” said Hu. About 65% of the trainees are youths, primarily students building foundational skills. Professionals, like engineers and teachers, accounting for 35%, seek operational and maintenance expertise. Over 50 professionals, meanwhile, have gained basic robot operation skills via the store programs, Hu revealed.
The store exemplifies the region’s integrated supply chain. A key attraction near the store entrance is Yuan You, meaning “far traveler” in English, which is a wheel-footed robot standing 158 centimeters tall and weighing 72 kilograms. “It can walk 1.5 meters per second and has been ‘working’ for nine months at a hospital in Xianning of Hubei, providing guidance, explanations and even moxibustion therapy services.” Yuan Chao, General Manager of the Wuhan HandX Innovation Technology Co, developer of Yuan You, noted that a team from the prestigious Wuhan University had provided both solutions for sensors and AI technology for this robot, while Hubei’s local industrial chain supplied over 80% of the hardware. “Hubei has roughly 20 core humanoid robot supply chain enterprises and nearly a thousand related firms, allowing us to procure key components like the ‘brain,’ ‘skeleton’ and ‘electronic skin’,” Yuan added, as reported by the China Daily.
Meanwhile, China took a significant step toward regulating its rapidly growing humanoid robotics industry with the release of the country's first national standard system covering the entire industrial chain and lifecycle of humanoid robots and embodied artificial intelligence (AI).
