Summary of Key Points
At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, home robots emerged as a highlight. These robots can play chess with users, fetch items, and perform simple tasks such as organizing household items. Some companies have even launched rental services for these robots, charging around 3,000 yuan per month to allow them to enter households. However, the technology is still not mature, and most complex household chores are merely demonstrated; companies are not yet promoting these robots for regular use. Instead, they are focusing on simpler needs such as providing educational companionship and monitoring the safety of elderly individuals. They are also addressing privacy concerns through measures like local data storage and user control over robot functions.
Detailed Analysis
1. What Can Home Robots Do Currently?
Robots displayed at the conference have demonstrated several practical abilities:
- Interactive Services: In the near future, robots may deliver drinks (even open bottles) and play chess with users. For example, Moz1 from Qianxun can understand commands like “organize the living room” and automatically move a bottle of cola from the table to the fridge or a bowl to the dishwasher.
- Companionship Services: Robots like “Xiaobumi,” which is less than 1 meter tall, are designed to play with children and provide programming education. Qiyuan T1 can transform into a wheeled humanoid form indoors and a four-legged robot outdoors, and it supports 3D printing for customized modifications.
- Command Execution: The Fourier GR-3 robot can understand commands such as “fetch an apple” and go to the dining table to pick up the item and hand it to the user. However, these actions are generally slow and can only be performed in predefined scenarios (e.g., when items are in fixed positions).
2. Why Can’t Robots Yet Be Full-Time Housekeepers?
There are several barriers preventing robots from becoming full-time household helpers:
- Technical Challenges: Robots move slowly and may have difficulty hearing commands in noisy environments. Traditional robots rely on preset routes, making them unsuitable for the unstructured and cluttered home environment.
- Complex Home Settings: Each household has a different layout and unique needs, making it difficult for robots to adapt as flexibly as humans. Additionally, there are high safety requirements, especially when there are elderly or children at home, as mistakes could cause injuries.
Therefore, most companies consider household chores to be more for demonstration purposes and do not plan to have robots handle complex tasks regularly.
3. Companies’ Strategic Approaches: Starting with Educational Companionship
Since handling household chores is challenging, companies are adopting different approaches:
- Educational Needs: Robots like those from Shangwei New Materials focus on human-computer interaction and programming education to help parents address issues such as children’s excessive use of smartphones.
- Companionship Services: Robots like Future Near focus on providing companionship for children and monitoring the safety of elderly people living alone (e.g., organizing toys or reminding them to take medication).
These approaches avoid technical difficulties associated with complex chores and directly address user pain points.
4. The Rental Model: A Pilot Approach to Testing Robot Integration into Homes
Future Near has launched a rental service for its robots, charging 3,000 yuan per month, and more than 500 households have already subscribed to the trial. This model allows users to experience robot technology without making a significant investment. For companies, it provides valuable feedback on real-home scenarios, enabling them to improve their products (e.g., by adjusting robot movement speeds or adapting to different home layouts).
5. Privacy and Security Measures
Privacy is a major concern for users. Companies are taking the following steps to address this:
- User Control: Users have control over functions such as turning on or off the camera in robots like Qiyuan.
- Local Data Storage: Some companies store critical data (e.g., home layouts and user preferences) locally on the robot, rather than in the cloud, to reduce the risk of data breaches.
These measures increase users’ trust and help make it easier for robots to integrate into households.
Conclusion
Home robots are moving from the laboratory to everyday life, but they are still in their early stages. They can perform simple tasks, yet they cannot yet handle all household chores. Companies are working towards making robots a common part of home life through educational companionship, rental services, and privacy protection measures. Whether robots will become an essential part of households in the future depends on technological advancements and user acceptance.