China has opened what is being described as the world’s first dedicated humanoid robot store, called “Robot Mall”, offering customers the chance to browse and buy from more than 40 different brands of androids.
Located in Beijing, the shop is part showroom, part dealership, and part interactive exhibition. Visitors can see robots performing a variety of tasks – from greeting customers and demonstrating language skills, to lifting and carrying objects.
The store’s operators say it marks a milestone in bringing humanoid robotics into everyday life, offering models suited for entertainment, education, customer service, and light industrial work.
While humanoid robots are still in the early stages of mainstream adoption, the store’s 40-brand lineup is striking.
Many observers assumed there were only a handful of companies developing such machines, yet China’s fast-growing robotics sector has produced a wide variety of models at different price points and capability levels.
The store’s opening comes amid a surge of interest in humanoid robotics from major manufacturers. Tesla, Figure AI, Agibot, Fourier Intelligence, and Unitree are among the companies currently developing general-purpose humanoid robots.
Most of these projects are still aimed at pilot programs or corporate clients, but China’s move shows how quickly retail models could emerge.
Will the West see similar stores?
Given the long tradition in science fiction of people buying humanoid robots – from Humans and Westworld to I, Robot and A.I. Artificial Intelligence – the concept seems almost inevitable.
In fact, the list of fictional portrayals could serve as a rough guide to how such shops might look: clean, high-tech showrooms where customers test humanoids for domestic help, companionship, or business use. (See below.)
Whether similar stores will appear in Europe and the US depends on how quickly humanoid robots move from experimental prototypes to reliable consumer products. At present, even leading projects like Tesla’s Optimus and Figure AI’s Figure 01 are in limited trials, not mass production.
However, with enough technical progress and falling costs, Western markets could see dedicated humanoid robot stores – or at least branded showrooms – within five to seven years.
In the shorter term, it is more likely that companies such as Tesla and Figure AI will focus on online sales and corporate partnerships, possibly adding pop-up retail spaces for demonstrations.
Once production scales, permanent stores could become a competitive necessity, much as car dealerships are today.
China’s new humanoid robot store may therefore be a glimpse of a future where buying a robot helper is as ordinary as choosing a new laptop – and one that could arrive in the West sooner than many expect.
TV series featuring robot shops
Humans (Channel 4, UK, 2015–2018) – A near-future drama where synthetic humanoids (“synths”) are sold to households as domestic helpers, creating tensions as their intelligence and emotional capacity become apparent.
Westworld (HBO, 2016-2022) – In the near-future theme park, wealthy guests “buy” time with incredibly lifelike android “hosts”. While it’s more of a service model than a personal purchase, the underlying idea is that these humanoids are designed and sold for customer experience.
Real Humans (Äkta människor, Sweden, 2012-2014) – The series that inspired the UK’s Humans. It depicts a society where “hubots” are bought for domestic work, companionship, or other purposes, with all the ethical and social fallout.
Almost Human (Fox, 2013-2014) – Set in 2048, police officers are issued humanoid android partners; while not exactly a retail market, the robots are commercial products made by corporations.
Better Than Us (Russia, 2018-2020) – Set in Moscow in the near future, advanced humanoid robots are bought for home and work; one particular model becomes central to the plot.
Films depicting robots for sale
I, Robot (2004) – Loosely based on Isaac Asimov’s work. In the film’s 2035 setting, humanoid robots are mass-marketed as personal assistants and household helpers.
Ex Machina (2014) – While not mass-market yet, the premise revolves around a company aiming to develop a humanoid AI intended for eventual consumer release.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) – “Mecha” androids, including childlike companions, are bought by families for emotional or practical reasons.
Bicentennial Man (1999) – A robot purchased to serve a family gradually becomes more human over decades.
RoboCop (original 1987 or 2014 remake) – Not about households, but corporations in the story are actively selling humanoid law-enforcement robots to governments — a kind of institutional “purchase”.
Surrogates (2009) – People buy full-body humanoid avatars to live through remotely; they’re marketed like consumer tech products.
