Annual electronics exhibition in Shanghai showcases robots for everyday life

At the ongoing 2026 Appliance and Electronics World Expo (AWE) in Shanghai, a wide range of intelligent robots, from household service machines to healthcare and security robots, are on display, highlighting how AI-powered robotics is rapidly moving into everyday life.

As Asia's largest and one of the world's three largest international consumer electronics and smart home exhibitions, the annual event highlights commercial applications of embodied intelligence this year. The 2026 AWE opened on March 12 and ends on Sunday.

One robot embroiderer has even set a Guinness World Records milestone at the exhibition, completing the assembly of over a hundred sub-millimeter wiring harnesses within one hour.

"Our robot has set a Guinness World Record by assembling 105 pieces of wires with high precision. The logic behind this achievement lies in the fact that we are collecting data from human actions rather than through traditional remote robot control. After obtaining data through a large model, we can flexibly transfer the data to the robot, enabling the robot to also possess this capability," said exhibitor Ding Wenchao. Ramping up efforts to develop core technologies in the robotics sector, Chinese companies also seek to accelerate the deployment of robots in both industrial and consumer scenarios.

"We focus on core technologies driven by AI, no matter whether they involve models or agents, and also on chips and joints needed by our robots. We then lay out our core technologies in these related fields," said Chang Xinwei, another exhibitor.

From boxing robots and robot dogs to security patrol robots and rehabilitation exoskeletons, the exhibition presents a wide spectrum of robotic applications, covering entertainment, security, healthcare, and household services, forming what exhibitors describe as an emerging smart service ecosystem.

Industry players are also pushing consumption-level robots to explore more application scenarios.

"We've associated with more than 20 robot brands in operating our booth. By cooperating with top-notch robot companies, we aim to present consumption-level robots, for example, robots priced at around 10,000 yuan (1,450 U.S. dollars) apiece, to make robots more accessible to a wider range of users," said exhibitor Zheng Xiaodan.

Market data suggest the humanoid robot sector is growing quickly. Global humanoid robot shipments approached 18,000 units in 2025, while China, a major application market, is expected to see its use cases expand more than threefold in 2026, with the market size nearing 9 billion yuan (1.3 billion U.S. dollars).

Meanwhile, data from JD.com, China's top e-commerce platform for digital appliances, show surging public interest. Searches for “robots” have increased 25 times since February, with attention to humanoid robots jumping more than 100-fold and views of quadruped and exoskeleton robots rising nearly tenfold.

Annual electronics exhibition in Shanghai showcases robots for everyday life

The first national traditional horseback archery competition has drawn riders from across China and abroad to Inner Mongolia in the north during the National Day holiday from Oct 1-7, as the sport is now listed for the 2030 Doha Asian Games.

The event, which kicked off last Thursday in the border city of Erenhot and ran through the week-long National Day holiday. The competition comprises three major tournaments: the inaugural National Mongolian Horse Super League, the National Mounted Archery Tour, and the Erenhot International Masters Tournament.

Together, they drew more than 150 domestic riders from 22 provincial-level regions, alongside 139 competitors from 23 countries and regions, competing across five major disciplines: horseback archery, endurance racing, horse racing relay, horse racing, and trick riding.

The mounted archery event requires competitors to nock arrows and draw bows while their horses gallop at top speed, hitting targets within seconds amid intense motion.

"This is my first time participating in such a large-scale international competition. I feel it quite rewarding to be able to perform near my usual level under such intense competitive pressure," said Sun Fu'an, a Chinese rider.

International players also shared their impressions of the grassland.

"It's very exotic. I've never been to China before. And here, Inner Mongolia is really beautiful with an exceptionally vast expanse of land. It's not at all what I'm used to at home. I'm very happy to be here," said Manon Depas, a Belgian competitor.

Having secured a spot as a competition event at the 2030 Doha Asian Games, mounted archery is emerging as a growing segment in equestrian sports.

At present, China has over 100 mounted archery clubs and 22 standardized training bases. The country's archery competition system is also improving.

"The traditional and cultural traditions from China are really appreciated there. So we in IHAA, we promote and develop this traditional sport to bring up to ... our goal is to make it Olympic," said Alan Le Gall, president of the International Horseback Archery Alliance.

The tournaments also serve a practical purpose for livestock development, organizers said.

"We need suitable competitions, tailored specifically for domestic horses and Mongolian horses, to showcase their significance and value," said Wu Gangfang, president of the horse culture sports committee under the China Ethnic Sports Association.

China's first traditional horseback archery competition draws global riders to Inner Mongolia