A high-tech "convenience store" appeared at the south gate of Beiling Park on the first day of the May Day holiday, drawing long queues of customers who were busy taking photos while waiting. The scene was livelier than many tourist attractions, all because the "shop assistant" here is not a human, but a robot.
This "store" is called the Galaxy Space Capsule Robotic Retail Station, the first such site deployed by Beijing Galaxy General Robot Co., Ltd. in Liaoning province. The robotic clerk inside is named "Galbot," known in Chinese as "Xiao Gai." It is the same model that became an online sensation after appearing in a comedy sketch with actors Shen Teng and Ma Li during the Spring Festival Gala, where it demonstrated its skill in handling walnuts.
What is it like to shop at the Galaxy Space Capsule? Customers place orders by scanning a code on the interactive screen, and "Xiao Gai" accurately picks the items from the shelves and hands them over with remarkable dexterity. It is also capable of preparing grilled sausages, coffee, and ice cream.
One customer, Ms. Zhang, said with a smile, "My child was so fascinated that they insisted on joining the queue. They've already placed two orders and even started chatting with 'Xiao Gai'!"
On-site timing revealed that "Xiao Gai" completes an order for bottled beverages in 30 to 40 seconds. Preparing and serving ice cream takes about one minute, while coffee, which requires grinding, takes slightly longer—around three minutes, though it can make two to three cups simultaneously.
Compared to human staff, its efficiency may not yet be superior, but its advantages are clear: it is precise, controllable, and emotionally stable, avoiding errors even during peak order times.
A project manager explained that the Galaxy Space Capsule Robotic Retail Store operates in a "no remote control, fully autonomous" mode. The Galbot robot inside is equipped with an embodied intelligence model, enabling human-like interaction, smart recommendations, autonomous item retrieval, and one-click payment. It sells a variety of products, including beverages, snacks, and cultural creative goods.
Through wireless charging or battery swapping, the "clerk" can provide uninterrupted service 24/7. As the world's first fully autonomous humanoid robot retail solution, the Galaxy Space Capsule has already been deployed in several cities, including Beijing, Hangzhou, and Harbin.
On its first day of operation in Shenyang on April 30, "Xiao Gai" completed 140 sales orders. Currently, this "new employee" and the space capsule are in a trial operation phase and will become permanent once operations stabilize.
The project manager also mentioned that this robot is gradually being introduced into various work environments, such as pharmacies and factories. "Embodied intelligence technology is being implemented step by step, moving from the virtual world into reality, making it accessible and tangible for the majority of people."
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