Chinese service robots are grabbing the limelight at IFA Berlin 2026, showcasing how the fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) with diverse technologies is embedding robots more deeply into daily life and expanding their application scenarios.
The IFA, one of the world's largest trade fairs for consumer electronics and home appliances, is underway in Messe Berlin from Friday till Tuesday.
At the exhibition, a wheeled service robot developed by a Chinese company can identify, sort, wash and store clothes. At the same time, another stair-climbing cleaning robot uses technologies including biomimetic tracks and 3D perception to address the challenge of moving between different floors.
"We believe that robots in the broad sense are a key carrier for bringing physical AI into the real world. The industrialization of physical AI requires bringing perception, decision-making and execution capabilities back to the products themselves. Our focus is to apply these capabilities to real-life situations to thoroughly address some of the problems and difficulties users encounter in their everyday life," said Li Yan, the global R and D director of a Chinese enterprise.
"In the past, these robots only had single functions. Now they are entering our daily life, and are supposed to perform continuous tasks in real household environments. I believe that if these technologies can be applied safely, they will be crucial to the future. They will also help the market develop better," said a visitor named Sebnem Sagnak.
In yard-care scenarios, lawn-mowing robots can do more than simply cut grass. Equipped with robotic arms, they can also perform tasks such as clearing obstacles, picking produce and watering plants.
"[Our new technologies] can truly benefit end consumers, such as cleaning corners and edges, removing dirt efficiently, as well as have many app-controlled functions, thereby enhancing product performance," said Joerg Semmler, an overseas distributor of a Chinese enterprise.
China’s service robots highlight AI fusion at IFA Berlin 2026
China saw 3.707 million vehicles traded in for newer models in the first half of this year under the government's vehicle trade-in program, fueling a nationwide surge in scrap car disposal and resource recovery.
"For vehicles that meet the requirements, a Certificate of Scrap Motor Vehicle Recycling will be issued. Vehicle owners who scrap their old vehicles and purchase new energy vehicles can enjoy a subsidy of 12 percent of the vehicle price, with a maximum of 20,000 yuan (about 2,980 U.S. dollars). If they purchase fuel-powered vehicles, they can enjoy a subsidy of 10 percent of the vehicle price, with a maximum of 15,000 yuan," said Zhang Ying, secretary-general of the Commercial Vehicle Full Life Cycle Management Branch of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Automobile Dealer Chamber.
Upon entering a dismantling plant, a scrap vehicle's identity information, including the vehicle identification number and engine number, is first verified against its registration certificate. Only after this information is confirmed can the vehicle proceed to the dismantling stage.
As professional equipment operates, a scrap vehicle is quickly taken apart piece by piece, with engines, seats, wiring harnesses, and plastic components removed and sorted into separate categories. In no time, only the vehicle frame remains.
In another workshop, compressors press the frame and other metal parts into neat square metal bales, which are then transported to steel mills to be smelted into new steel products. Meanwhile, more than a dozen types of hazardous waste, including storage batteries, waste engine oil, and coolant, are all handed over to licensed professional enterprises for recycling and disposal.
Through such meticulous dismantling, an ordinary household passenger car can yield dozens of types of industrial raw materials.
"In roughly a little over a year, we have recovered approximately 5,000 tons of scrap steel resources and about 1,000 tons of non-ferrous metals. Waste plastics, tires and rubber, and other materials have all been transferred and disposed of in compliance with regulations. It is expected that this year we should be able to increase our production capacity by 20 percent," said Ma Houlong, head of the Nanjing Chengkuang Resource Recycling Technology Company.
China's trade-in program sees 3.7 mln vehicles replaced in H1
China's trade-in program sees 3.7 mln vehicles replaced in H1
