SHANGHAI, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — “It’s watching me!” This was a shout that emerged from an excited group of kids gathered round a fluffy robotic at a bookstore in east China’s Shanghai. Named LOVOT, the robotic tilted its head, blinked with expressive eyes, and stretched out its arms, searching for a hug.
Passersby paused to snap photographs, admiring its pet-like appeal. “It’s like having a pet that knows how to cuddle,” one remarked.
Developed by Japanese tech firm GROOVE X, LOVOT, a merger of “love” and “robot,” prioritizes companionship over industrial performance. LOVOT has made a powerful impression with its presence, having already expanded to city areas and houses in quite a few Chinese cities.
“Chinese consumers embrace innovation, especially in Shanghai’s open, inclusive and creative environment,” mentioned Hayashi Kaname, LOVOT’s creator and founding father of GROOVE X. “China is an ideal market.”
An industrial report valued China’s potential companionship robotic market at almost 1 trillion yuan (about 140.6 billion U.S. {dollars}) — cut up between seniors searching for well being assist and youth wanting trend-focused interactions.
Tao Xidong, a researcher at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, noticed that China is turning into a testing floor for tech innovation. Its huge market and numerous calls for create unparalleled house for AI merchandise to evolve.
This pattern is just not solely attracting abroad corporations. The Chinese native market can also be assembly companionship wants in numerous methods. When climbing Mount Tai in east China’s Shandong Province, an exoskeleton robotic supplies “climbing companionship.” When going to the hospital alone, an AI assistant accompanies all through the prognosis and medicine pickup.
From offline eventualities to on-line platforms, companionship that connects know-how and feelings is rising in all facets of life.
“In the past, we thought smart devices were exclusive to young people, but now they have become our intimate assistants,” mentioned 72-year-old Wang Fenlan. She makes use of an AI voice assistant each morning to test the climate, then follows a wise TV to follow Tai Chi, and even asks DeepSeek to advocate dietary recipes for her. Simple interactions have launched a brand new dimension to her each day lifetime of dwelling alone.
Not restricted to households, purposes combining know-how and companionship are additionally turning into energetic in giant public occasions.
At the 2025 China Open this October, the robotic canine introduced by a Chinese know-how firm, Loona, attracted a lot consideration. On the coaching courtroom, it acted as a “ball boy” to assist gamers decide up and ship balls. In the interactive expertise space exterior the courtroom, it interacted with the viewers, even chatting about serving methods. Inside and out of doors the China Open venue, the presence of a robotic canine added a contact of leisure and enjoyable to the tense competitors.
“The forms of companionship are changing, but people’s need for warmth has never changed,” mentioned Zhu Keli, founding dean of the China Institute of New Economy.
He mentioned that the “companionship economy” has a broad social basis and steady development potential. In the long run, service kinds will change into extra vertical and segmented, deepening from practical companionship to curiosity sharing, non secular connections, and different ranges.