By Cheng Yuanzhou, People’s Daily

Shenzhen homeowner Chen Zishun experienced a surprise during a recent scheduled housekeeping visit. Alongside the human cleaner arrived an unusual new : an AI-equipped robot featuring a long mechanical arm.

This innovative service stems from a collaboration between Shenzhen-based company X Square Robot and a major domestic service platform, 58.com Inc. The partnership has launched intelligent home-cleaning services in Shenzhen, where robots now work alongside human cleaners.

The new service soon gained great popularity, with reservations fully booked for half a month. Chen successfully booked a service order amid high demand.

When the cleaning work started, the robot was tasked with garbage removal and table arrangement in the living room and dining room, while human cleaner went straight to tidy up bedrooms.

In the living room, the robot moved slowly while skillfully avoiding obstacles. It accurately picked up scattered items and put them in order by category, then wiped tables with cleaning cloths. The movements were deliberate and somewhat slow, but orderly and methodical.

Li Ziwen, Shenzhen city manager at 58.com Inc., explained that under the current human-machine collaborative cleaning model, robots mainly handle repetitive, labor-intensive tasks such as sorting tabletops, arranging sofas and organizing shoes. Human cleaners handle more complex, fine-detail deep-cleaning work instead, including scrubbing hard-to-reach corners, polishing countertops, thoroughly sanitizing kitchens and bathrooms, and carrying out disinfection. The two sides follow a clear division of labor.

These robots are continuously learning. After each job, anonymized data on their perception and actions feeds into a training platform to refine their model. Initial tests showed slow progress (e.g., taking over 10 minutes to pick up a towel), but rapid improvement followed. Within a week, the robot mastered table wiping, and it has since learned skills like cleaning up after pets and folding clothes.

During an on-site demonstration, People’s Daily observed that the robot could accurately classify medicines simply by examining packaging, and could even identify and separate expired snacks on its own. For safety reasons, however, the robot is not yet used in water-related cleaning tasks, and its movements are intentionally programmed to remain relatively slow.

About three hours later, the human cleaner had finished the remaining rooms, while the robot completed organizing the living and dining areas. Traditionally, standard cleaning for a 130-square-meter apartment like this would usually take four to five hours.

So what does the future hold for smart home-cleaning robots?

Market response has strengthened Li’s confidence. On the online platform of 58.com Inc., bookings for intelligent cleaning services have surged. Only eight appointments are released each day, and reservations are already scheduled more than two weeks in advance. Prices are the same as traditional housekeeping services: around 140 yuan for a three-hour standard cleaning session ($25.26). Recently, X Square Robot and 58.com Inc. launched intelligent cleaning services in Beijing.

Across the sector, the household scenario is widely regarded as the “last mile” for physical AI applications. Even so, intelligent cleaning robots still face significant challenges. The range of cleaning scenarios robots can currently handle remains limited; the efficiency of human-machine collaboration still needs improvement; robots must become better at adapting to complex home environments; and customer acceptance remains relatively low.

“Household robots need to respond to unexpected situations with adult-like capability,” explained Wang Jiashen, an application engineer at X Square Robot. Unlike repetitive industrial tasks, home-service robots demand greater adaptability and intelligence. To achieve this, the company developed the WALL-B foundation model, enabling robots to adjust in real-time and quickly correct operational errors.

According to Wang, the development team is now focused on improving robots’ ability to adapt to home environments, optimizing navigation and obstacle avoidance so the machines can better “understand” the home while remaining stable and reliable in real-life settings. 

On the human-machine collaboration side, engineers are also refining workflow standards to reduce waiting time and repetitive tasks, making cooperation smoother and services more standardized.

So far, the robot cleaners of X Square Robot have already served hundreds of households in Shenzhen and Beijing.

In the feedback section after the service, Chen wrote: “Maybe in the not-so-distant future, hiring a robot cleaner to work alone at home will become just as commonplace as robot vacuum cleaners or self-driving cars are today.”

By Zeng Yichen, People’s Daily

At the Longshou Mine operated by Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd. in northwest China’s Gansu province, 5G-powered driverless electric locomotives are now transporting ore through tunnels hundreds of meters underground. Backed by an intelligent dispatching system, these unmanned trains operate entirely underground without on-site human drivers.

Tasks that once required locomotive operators and track workers deep underground can now be managed remotely from an intelligent control center above ground, improving both safety and efficiency in one of mining’s most demanding environments.

Inside the mine’s smart control room, real-time operational data from underground locomotives flashes across large digital screens. Former locomotive driver Mei Songbo, now an operator, monitors the status of rail switches remotely. As a train approaches a junction, the corresponding virtual switch icon on the screen automatically turns green and changes track settings in sync.

“Before, changing rail switches required precise coordination between the locomotive driver and track workers underground,” Mei said. “Now it can all be done remotely with a control handle and buttons.”

For years, underground locomotive operation depended heavily on skilled manual driving and constant, intense focus. Seeking to enhance safety, working conditions, and efficiency, Longshou Mine began exploring autonomous driving technology for mining workflows in 2018.

Driverless electric locomotives were soon introduced underground. However, ensuring their reliable and safe operation proved far more complex than simply getting them to move.

At the time, the mine relied on WiFi communication, which suffered from short transmission distances, limited bandwidth and severe signal loss inside winding underground tunnels. Video feeds transmitted back to the surface experienced delays of up to one or two seconds.

“Even a one- or two-second lag is enough for a locomotive to drift three to five meters off course with no human intervention,” said Zhao Peng, director of the transportation section at Longshou Mine. “The safety risks were unacceptable.”

The growing number of underground sensors and video monitoring points placed even greater demands on communications infrastructure. Real-time video transmission, instant command delivery and the simultaneous operation of multiple locomotives quickly exceeded the capabilities of traditional WiFi systems.

In March 2020, Longshou Mine’s technical team joined forces with communications technology companies to begin developing a new solution.

“At that time, 5G wireless communication was just beginning to be applied in industrial settings,” Zhao said. “Gansu’s industry and information technology authorities were collecting use cases for 5G applications across the province, and its low latency and high bandwidth matched our mining needs perfectly.”

Yet standard consumer-grade 5G systems initially struggled to perform underground.

Consumer 5G networks are designed mainly for downloading data, such as streaming videos to smartphones. Underground mining operations, however, required the opposite: large amounts of upstream data, including real-time video feeds and vehicle control signals sent from locomotives back to the surface control center.

After rounds of field testing, network redesigns and fine-tuning of on-board terminals, the technical team reallocated uplink and downlink bandwidth and created dedicated communication channels for the locomotives. By the end of 2020, the mine launched trial operations of its first locomotive equipped with a 5G communication system.

Removing people from underground operations made the trains run faster. 

“When locomotives pull ore cars underground, they can only move forward and can’t reverse direction on their own,” Mei explained. “In the past, after reaching a loading or unloading point, the driver had to walk to the other end of the locomotive to continue operating it. Just loading and unloading added another 10 minutes to each trip. Now the system can automatically switch the powered end of the locomotive, improving efficiency by 20 percent.”

Technology is transforming mining operations: workers no longer need to descend with heavy machinery but can monitor and control processes remotely from the surface.

Starting with the first “5G + driverless locomotive,” Longshou Mine has since turned its communications platform into a broader incubator for intelligent mining solutions.

Beneath the surface, “5G + AI” image recognition enables precise docking between ore loaders and mining cars. Above ground, a 5G-enabled digital twin platform visualizes and monitors the mine’s entire operational process in real time. 

The mine’s heating system can now be adjusted on demand across the entire site through the 5G network, while intelligent inspection robots have also been deployed.

What began as a single autonomous driving application has evolved into an all-in-one intelligent platform supporting mine safety, equipment maintenance and dispatch management.

The digital tansformation has also created new career paths for veteran miners like Mei and his coworkers. Years of hands-on underground experience have become invaluable in bridging the gap between new technologies and real-world operational scenarios. Some former drivers now work in control rooms overseeing dispatch systems, while others help maintain equipment and optimize technical parameters.

“Our years of underground experience help these new technologies adapt perfectly to real mining conditions,” Mei said. “And the new technologies are improving our working environment as well. I truly believe smarter, digital mines will bring a better future for every worker here.”

By Wu Kai, People’s Daily

Chinese robotics exports experienced significant growth in the first quarter of this year. Customs data reveals that exports reached 11.32 billion yuan ($1.66 billion), reaching 148 countries and regions.

A key driver of this expansion is the cleaning robot sector, newly classified in trade statistics this year. These robots accounted for 7.75 billion yuan in exports, representing nearly 70 percent of China’s total robot exports. Their prominent position reflects strong global recognition, earned through technological sophistication.

These household  appliances incorporate sophisticated core technologies. Integrated with LiDAR, AI-powered vision systems, autonomous navigation and semantic recognition, they can independently map indoor spaces, avoid obstacles in real-time, and efficiently clean diverse areas like yards, window ledges, and pool surrounds.

China’s enormous domestic market provides an ideal environment for continuous product refinement. Diverse usage scenarios and instant user feedback push manufacturers to polish core technologies including navigation algorithms, obstacle avoidance systems and cleaning performance. 

The robots can remember household cleaning preferences and deliver tailored services over time. Their flexible wheel-leg design enables smooth movement upstairs, while built-in flight modules allow them to reach high areas. Close alignment with actual user needs and rapid technical iteration keep making these products more competitive internationally.

Booming overseas sales of Chinese cleaning robots are no isolated trend.,Instead, they signal an ongoing structural improvement in China’s foreign trade.

Chinese exported products are growing smarter and more eco-friendly. In the first four months, exports of high-end, high-value-added electromechanical products rose 17.6 percent year on year. Green and low-carbon items including electric vehicles, lithium batteries and wind turbines saw export growth of 68.1 percent, 43.2 percent and 40.7 percent respectively. 

China’s foreign trade now prioritizes quality over sheer volume, effectively meeting global market demand for eco-friendly and sustainable consumption.

China is also steadily expanding the reach of its global trade. Its total trade volume with Belt and Road partner countries hit 8.28 trillion yuan in the first four months, up 13.5 percent year on year. Continued market diversification and deeper industrial and supply chain cooperation help bring richer options and better-quality products to consumers worldwide.

Exported products are designed to improve the life quality of the users. The global popularity of Chinese cleaning robots shows how advanced technologies are turned into practical, everyday tools. It highlights how large-scale domestic application refines product strength and how integrated industrial chains facilitate overseas market penetration. Besides, It is also a typical reflection of optimized structure in China’s foreign trade sector.

Through constant upgrading, Chinese manufacturing will keep delivering practical Chinese-designed solutions to improve quality of life across the world.