China is revolutionising public services by deploying 72 advanced AI-powered robot employees across Beijing's municipal parks for tasks ranging from cleaning and guiding to pest control, reflecting its ambitious "Robot Plus" strategy.
Key Points
- Beijing parks have deployed 72 "robot employees" for diverse tasks including cleaning, patrolling, and visitor guidance.
- This initiative is part of China's national "Robot Plus" strategy, addressing labour shortages and an ageing population.
- AI-powered cleaning robots at the Summer Palace efficiently manage waste and navigate autonomously.
- Intelligent tour-guide robots provide information and enforce park rules, identifying behaviours like smoking.
- Zizhuyuan Park uses "smart breathing" robots to attract and trap mosquitoes, improving visitor comfort.
China has been expanding the use of robots across public services as part of its national "Robot Plus" strategy, driven by an ageing population, labour shortages and rapid advances in artificial intelligence. The country's domestic service robot market exceeded USD 6 billion last year as AI-powered machines continue to reshape sectors ranging from healthcare and hospitality to sanitation and logistics.
Advanced Robotics In Park Maintenance
At the Summer Palace, one of the capital's most visited tourist attractions, cleaning robots can begin operations within 30 seconds after sanitation workers define their operating areas and select cleaning modes through a mobile application. Equipped with sensors, the robots perceive their surroundings in real time, with side brushes sweeping litter inward as they move along designated routes. The machines are capable of edge cleaning and automatic water spraying, while adjusting cleaning intensity according to the amount of waste detected. They can also avoid pedestrians and vehicles autonomously.
Enhancing Visitor Experience With AI Guides
The parks have also introduced intelligent tour-guide robots that provide explanations along pre-set routes, answer visitors' questions and remind them to maintain order. Equipped with more than 10 high-precision artificial intelligence models, sensing radar and recognition cameras, the robots can identify behaviours such as smoking and issue voice reminders through pre-recorded messages, the state-run Global Times reported.
Innovative Pest Control Solutions
Zizhuyuan Park has deployed four types of "smart breathing" robots that simulate human exhaled carbon dioxide to attract and trap mosquitoes, helping reduce mosquito density in selected areas. Xu Ziling, a staff member at Zizhuyuan Park, told the Global Times that the coordinated use of smart equipment, including mosquito-catching robots, was introduced in response to visitors' concerns about increased mosquito activity in grassy areas during the evenings. "Especially during evenings when many children visit the park, compared with traditional mosquito traps, these devices can not only reduce the workload of frontline workers but also improve visitors' experience," Xu said.
