Serbia's first robot factory officially began production in the western city of Sabac. The joint project, built in collaboration with automotive supplier Minth Group and Chinese robotics company AgiBot is also Europe's first mass-production base for humanoid robots invested by Chinese enterprises. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, attending the launch ceremony, called the project an important step toward the country's future. After the first humanoid robot produced at the factory rolled off the production line, President Vucic interacted with the robot, which also demonstrated a range of functions, including Chinese calligraphy, folding clothes, playing chess and dancing, according to Minth Group. Vucic said humanoid robot production is opening up a new field of technological development for Serbia. The country hopes to integrate robot manufacturing with industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), supercomputing and data centers, while boosting local talent and employment and strengthening Serbia's position in Europe's robotics industry. Vucic said the launch in Sabac was of great significance for Serbia, adding that the country is becoming a frontrunner in the mass production of humanoid robots in Europe.
Vucic said the factory is expected to assemble and produce more than 5,000 humanoid robots annually in the future, with the robots potentially used across healthcare, agriculture, industry and defense. Minth Group told the Global Times that the first phase of the robot factory involved an investment of €20 million and covers about 3,000 square meters. The facility focuses on assembling humanoid robots and robotic dogs, as well as calibrating motion and vision systems and conducting performance tests. The factory showcases capabilities including high-precision flexible manipulation, intelligent environmental adaptation, multi-robot coordination and industrial automation. It also displays service robots designed for the Specialized Expo 2027 in Belgrade.
According to the plan, the project will later include a robotics industrial park in Serbia, with total investment expected to reach about €200 million. Once fully completed, the annual production capacity for humanoid robots and robotic dogs is projected to reach up to 20,000 units, targeting markets in Europe and beyond. The company told the Global Times that the mass-produced embodied-intelligence robots are equipped with multimodal perception systems, with tactile and sensing technologies integrated into their fingertips for precise force control and flexible grasping. Powered by AI deep-learning algorithms, they can adapt autonomously to complex environments and continuously improve their capabilities. The robots are gradually being deployed in industrial settings for loading and unloading, material handling and inspection, and replacing workers in dangerous and repetitive tasks while improving manufacturing efficiency and safety. In the future, they are also expected to expand into home and eldercare applications, providing companionship and intelligent assistance as human-robot collaboration becomes more natural and integrated into daily life.
Minth Group's cooperation with Serbia is not a recent development, but part of a relationship built over years. The company first entered the Serbian market in 2018 and has maintained an eight-year presence in the country, where it has established 10 factories. At the end of May, during Vucic's visit to Zhejiang province, Serbia and Minth Group signed two new investment agreements. The Loznica project involves an investment of €135 million and is expected to create 600 jobs, while the Sabac project will involve €91 million in investment and create 220 jobs. Chen Jing, Vice President of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, told the Global Times that the factory could significantly raise Serbia's position in Europe's high-tech industrial chain. Traditionally better known for automotive parts manufacturing, Serbia is now moving to the forefront of humanoid robot mass production, potentially becoming a link between Chinese technological capabilities and European market demand.
Chen said industrial settings are likely to be among the first areas where the robots achieve large-scale deployment in Serbia and Europe. Given Minth Group's established automotive supply-chain base, humanoid robots could be used in assembly, inspection and material handling, while robotic dogs may be deployed in logistics and industrial inspection. The establishment of the humanoid robot production base could spur supporting industries ranging from AI and data centers to industrial services, while creating new demand for local engineers and skilled workers.
Minth Group said Serbia will serve as a strategic hub for its European operations, while the company supports preparations for Expo 2027 Belgrade and expands into European and global robotics markets. It also plans to strengthen large-scale production and localized manufacturing capabilities, the Global Times reports.
In Hong Kong, the first convenience stores operated by humanoid robots opened this week, with the Beijing-based company behind it planning to establish about 10 more outlets locally as it makes the city its first stop in “going overseas”. The first “Galbot stores” opened in Hung Hom, Kai Tak and Wan Chai, marking the company’s first outlets outside mainland China. Galbot’s first store on the mainland was launched last August and has since expanded to about 200 outlets across 50 cities nationwide. “This is a genuinely important step for us in going overseas as Hong Kong is an important window and platform for mainland China facing the international market,” said Zhao Yuli, Chief Strategy Officer of Galbot, noting that the business had operated a Hong Kong office since 2024. She said the company planned to open about 10 more Galbot stores in the city over the coming years in high-footfall districts. According to Zhao, each Galbot store is run by wheeled humanoid robots powered by the company’s embodied foundation model, AstraBrain, the South China Morning Post reports.
