A robotics wave is sweeping through Shandong province, moving from factory floors to shopping malls and even homes. In Zibo, robots perform dances at a major mall, while in Jining, an autonomous spraying robot manages tough underground work in a coal mine, increasing efficiency by over 40 percent.

Robots perform in front of a shopping mall in Zibo. [Photo/Dazhong Daily]

This expansion is driven by booming demand. Centers like the Foresee Future Robot 6S Store in Jinan serve as hubs, offering a range of robots from household bots to advanced humanoid models. Here, businesses and families can explore solutions ranging from reception and delivery to specialized leasing for events.

On the supply side, companies like Shandong UBTech Robotics are pushing boundaries, refining robots for complex tasks in rescue and inspection. The provincial industry is growing rapidly, with industrial robot output set to jump 26.6 percent in 2025. Shandong aims to integrate robotics with AI across 10 key sectors, targeting a 50 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) industry scale by 2027, showing that the future of automation is already here.