A futuristic "innovation corridor", a 10-kilometer stretch teeming with cutting-edge robotics, tech startups, and top-tier research talent located in south China's Shenzhen City, has showcased embodied AI in practical use.
Known in the industry as "Robot Valley," this area has quickly evolved into a thriving ecosystem for embodied intelligence and robotics innovation.
This year, a growing number of robotics companies have shifted their R and D focus toward industry-specific and professional-grade solutions, targeting verticals like catering, manufacturing, and logistics. Tailored designing for each field has reportedly boosted operational efficiency by more than 20 percent.
In a cafe, for example, a robotic barista now crafts lattes with remarkable precision: grinding beans, frothing milk, and even creating latte art. Within seconds, a steaming cup is ready.
"Each cup it makes is highly consistent, which is probably quite different from what we achieve manually. What you see here are various experienced coffee masters we invited at the time — their expertise was used to train and develop the AI through intelligent learning," said Wang Heru, a senior marketing manager at Dobot Robotics.
The innovations extend well beyond coffee.
Nearby, a compact robot resembling a toy car quietly gets to work mowing a large lawn.
Equipped with over 50 patents, the robot scans its environment and intelligently avoids obstacles while maintaining a clean cut.
Such examples of "robots on duty" are becoming increasingly common in Shenzhen. These machines now go far beyond basic assistance -- they are beginning to transform professional sectors by delivering efficient, adaptive, and reliable service.
Shenzhen’s 'Robot Valley' showcases embodied AI in pratical use
U.S. equities retreated on Tuesday as the fourth-quarter earnings season commenced with disappointing results from a major banking institution, overshadowed by ongoing policy debates and fresh inflation data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 398.21 points, or 0.8 percent, to 49,191.99. The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 13.53 points, or 0.19 percent, to 6,963.74, and the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 24.03 points, or 0.1 percent, to 23,709.87.
The financial sector led the session's decline. JPMorgan Chase, the nation's largest lender, reported quarterly earnings that fell short of expectations, impacted by a 2.2 billion U.S. dollar hit related to its Apple Card partnership. Shares of JPMorgan plummeted 4.19 percent, while Goldman Sachs followed with a 1.2 percent decline.
The banking industry's performance faced further pressure from continued scrutiny of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent. JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum signaled potential industry resistance to the plan, which was put forward late last week.
Conversely, the energy and consumer staples sectors bucked the downward trend, gaining 1.53 percent and 1.08 percent, respectively. Seven of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended the day in positive territory despite the losses in the major indices.
On the economic front, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index report showed that inflation in the United States remained steady in December 2025. The headline annual rate remained at 2.7 percent, while core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose 2.6 percent over the previous year. This core figure represents the lowest annual increase since early 2021.
According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the steady inflation and cooling labor market have led traders to expect the Federal Reserve to maintain interest rates at its upcoming meeting at the end of January, with the first of two projected rate cuts anticipated in June.
U.S. stocks close lower as earnings season kicks off
